


The Children of War

by SunshineScorpius



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Anxiety and panic attacks, Cursed Child compliant, Established Relationship, M/M, Malfoy Family Feels, Minor Character Death, Not Beta'd, POTTER FAMILY FEELS, Violence, War, the aftermath
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-08
Updated: 2019-06-13
Packaged: 2020-02-28 14:16:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 68,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18758104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunshineScorpius/pseuds/SunshineScorpius
Summary: War is a messy ordeal. It takes and it takes, and leaves behind a wreck. The war had been over for over twenty years, but the next generation suffer with the consequences of the actions of their parents. Some want revenge, some want redemption, some want out of the shadow of their war-hero parents and others just want to forget it ever happened.Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy wish to leave the past behind, both one that happened twenty years ago and one that happened one year ago. The war their parents fought is in the past, the time-turner is in the past, so why do old ghosts insist on haunting them?





	1. Desire.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scorpius and Albus deal with the aftermath of their actions from fourth-year and Scorpius finds solace in the Mirror of Erised.

“Why is your brother staring at me?” Scorpius asked, uneasily looking in the direction of James Potter. Albus followed Scorpius’ gaze to his brother, who was sat at the Gryffindor table in his usual spot, surrounded by his usual set of friends. His friends were engaged in what looked like quite an intense discussion, but James seemed far away from the ongoing conversation. Instead, his gaze lingered on the Slytherin table – and by extension, on Scorpius.

Albus looked around to see if there was anything else that could have held James’ attention span for that long – he had the attention span of a three-year-old – and his eyes settled on a blonde-haired girl standing just behind them, engaged in a conversation herself with a friend.

“He’s not staring at you,” Albus assured, nudging Scorpius’ shoulder.

Scorpius finally tore his eyes from James to look at him. “How do you know?” He was more curious than anything. Scorpius had always been a curious person, it was how they found the room of requirement in their fourth year before any of his extended family did and without the invisibility cloak – which belonged to James – and the Marauders Map – which Lily currently had. Albus was never interested in the artefacts that his father wanted to share with them, so he gave Lily the map knowing she’d use it more than him.

“Because there’s a pretty girl behind us,” Albus shrugged. Scorpius instantly turned around and saw the girl who was no doubt soon going to be the new object of James’ affections.

“A _pretty_ girl? Uh oh, should I be jealous?” Scorpius quipped, retaliating to Albus’ earlier shoulder nudge with one of his own.

“Hmm,” Albus pretended to ponder. “Nah, I only have eyes for you,” he booped Scorpius on the nose, causing his face to break out into a huge grin.

“You’re such a cringe,” he joked.

“Me? Aren’t you the one who wrote an entire three feet of parchment on all the reasons you love me on my birthday?”

“That’s cute, not cringey!”

“Pretty sure you said you only have eyes for me in it somewhere. We can go back to the dorm and find out if you want.”

He hummed. “I’m torn between telling you that you’re adorable for keeping it and bullying you because you kept it.”

“When did you get so bloody cheeky?” Albus accused.

“Guess you’re rubbing off on me,” he winked. _Winked._ Albus had never seen him wink before. In fact, Scorpius was never really the type to flirt, and if he did he was very bad at it. Albus was torn between being slightly aroused and very confused.

“Have you read a book or two on flirting? Because you’re getting suspiciously good at it,” Albus asked. Scorpius laughed so hard he accidentally spit in pumpkin juice back into his glass. He awkwardly cleaned himself up through his stifled giggles with a napkin and turned back to Albus.

“Is that a serious question?” When Albus nodded fervently, Scorpius rolled his eyes. “No, I haven’t read a book on flirting. Who knows, maybe this is the new me?” He locked eyes with Albus, his lips forming a small smug smirk and eyes smouldering. “You haven’t seen me all summer, maybe I learnt some new skills.” He wiggled his eyebrows at him.

This time Albus laughed. Scorpius let out a dejected huff and pouted at Albus until he managed to recover.

“Is that a no to trying to be sexy?” Scorpius asked.

Albus had a huge grin on his face, still clearly trying to hold back his giggles. “I love you the way you are, all awkward legs and arms and not quite knowing what to do with yourself,” his words only seemed to make Scorpius pout harder. He placed his cheek in one hand, leaning his elbow on the table. The action made his face scrunch up harder, and if possible look even more adorable.

Albus wished more than anything that he could kiss him in that moment, but unfortunately the knowledge of their relationship was still strictly between them. With the way Albus’ dad acted in their fourth year by splitting them up, Scorpius was nervous about coming clean about their newfound relationship. Then of course, there was Draco and there was no telling how he’d react.

They had only been dating six months – and three of those were spent mostly apart over the summer. Keeping it a secret had been easy, until Scorpius returned to Hogwarts with a growth spurt and extremely better looking than he left. His face had sharpened out slightly making his jaw bones more prominent, he now wore his hair longer than before, enough so it curled at the ends around his ears. Albus went to lift a hand to tuck a stray piece of Scorpius’ hair behind his ear but pulled back quickly upon realising that was _definitely_ too flirty for public. James may have been preoccupied with the girl behind them, but they were still in his eye line. Albus didn’t want to think about the relentless teasing James would cause them both.

“Point is, you’re perfect the way you are,” Albus said, causing the pout to turn into a wide smile which Albus automatically mirrored.

Scorpius looked back to James, then back at the girl standing behind them, then back to his plate which contained all his breakfast favourites. “I can’t believe your brother has a crush on the head girl,” he spoke, sounding almost pitiful for James.

“That’s the head girl?” Albus chuckled. “Oh, he doesn’t stand a chance.”

“I don’t know,” he pondered, looking back at James. “James is pretty good looking, but she is out of his league.”

“Uh-oh, should I be jealous?” Albus mocked, a mischievous grin on his face. “Of my brother and of this mystery girl?”

“Uh-huh, definitely,” he quipped. Albus rolled his eyes and pouted in the same way Scorpius had. However, it probably wasn’t as effective, Scorpius had more plump lips than Albus that made pouting look way better. Scorpius ran a thumb over Albus’ lips before quickly pulling away and coughing slightly out of awkwardness. “Anyway,” he changed the subject, “she’s not mysterious. Her names Cassie Kingsley, and she’s head girl, and she’s Slytherin.” Albus turned to look at the girl again, only now just noticing her Slytherin robes. He felt like he’d never seen her before, but then Albus never really paid attention to many people that weren’t Scorpius.

“She looks a little bit like you,” Albus commented, watching as the girl threw her long white-blonde hair over her shoulder and laughed at her friend.

“What? Just because she has blonde hair she looks like me?” He asked, nonplussed. Albus turned back to face him, he was running his teeth over his bottom lips – a habit that Albus’ desperately wanted him to kick.

“You’re right, never mind,” Albus brushed it off. “Ready for the first day of classes?”

“Yes! This year is going to be so fun, we finally get to the learn the more advanced things that are actually interesting! I heard your aunt added Patronuses into the Defence Against the Dark Arts curriculum, I can’t wait to find out what mine will be, that’s if I can even produce one. You know my dad could never produce a Patronus? And I know it’s O.W.L. year but if we get ahead on our homework throughout the week, we could probably have weekends free, I’ll make a schedule for us, so we can keep on track.”

Albus listened to Scorpius ramble all the way to the Potions classroom. He liked listening to Scorpius talk. Most people found him annoying and never failed to tell him so. When in a big group – which hardly ever happens because they don’t actually have many friends – he tends to keep his thoughts to himself. In those kinds of situations, talking for more than three uninterrupted minutes makes him nervous, to the point where he worked himself up into a panic attack one time. Albus hated that people made him feel like that, he thought Scorpius deserved to be heard for three minutes, for thirty minutes, for hours, forever. He would never tire of his voice, it was angelic, captivating, enthralling. The way he talked about things he loved was so enchanting to watch. Yes, Scorpius Malfoy deserved to be heard. But, he would only ever let Albus hear him. That, he thought, was the world’s tragic loss.

The two boys chose a seat in the middle of the classroom, close enough to fuel Scorpius’ nerdiness, but far back enough to accompany Albus’ aloofness. Professor June entered waving her wand, opening all the students textbooks to a certain page. Albus liked Professor June. She had joined the teaching faculty at the beginning of his fourth year and had became head of his house this year. She was the only Professor who treated Albus and Scorpius like normal students rather than delinquents following last year’s stunt.

When they had returned from their trip through time, most Professors kept an annoyingly close eye on them, especially Professor Longbottom – Albus’ godfather. Mostly, it was at the request of Albus’ father, but that didn’t make it any less suffocating. When Scorpius found the room of requirement, it was like someone had sent them a gift from beyond. It meant they could escape without nosey Professors and horrible bullies.

They were still widely disliked – especially now by their own house. The Slytherin’s believe Albus and Scorpius were responsible for Craig Bowkers’ death, the previous Slytherin sixth year prefect, and never failed to remind them of it. As if it wasn’t already eating away at their guilt. Albus understood why they blamed him, after all, it almost was his fault because he trusted Delphi in the first place. He just wished they wouldn’t constantly remind him. It haunted his dreams every night and thanks to them, every day, too.

The repercussions of Albus’ stupid attempt at redemption were catastrophic. For both him and Scorpius. Albus just wished he hadn’t brought his best friend down with him. Watching him suffer for what Albus dragged him through was the worst punishment he received; which was saying something considering they were both in detention for the rest of the year and their Christmas holidays revoked.

“Hey, Voldy Junior,” a voice hissed behind them, catching both Albus’ and Scorpius’ attention. Albus felt a wave of anger wash over his bones. He looked at Scorpius, but to his surprise the other boy was still ominously writing notes as Professor June rambled on about the Befuddlement Draught. “Hey, Voldy?” He hissed again. Albus went to retaliate when Scorpius spoke up, his voice sounding bored and eyes not leaving the parchment.

“Just ignore them Albus.” Albus had no idea how Scorpius could do that; how he could just brush off horrible names and insults thrown his way. They got to him, deep down, but he never retaliated. Scorpius had always handled things differently to Albus. He fuelled his confusing and angry emotions into anxiety or excitement, whereas Albus tended to explode like a hot-headed Gryffindor (it was probably the only Gryffindor trait he’d inherited). Still, by his request, Albus ignored them.

“Squib, tell your boyfriend to stop ignoring me,” the boy spat, directing his insult at Albus this time. He had to convince himself that they meant ‘boyfriend’ as an insult and didn’t actually know about their relationship. Out the corner of his eye, Albus saw Scorpius’ jaw tense in anger and his quill come to a stop for the first time since the person started attempting conversation. The ink pot sat between them on the desk started shaking, but Albus had no idea from what.

“Now, who can tell me the ingredients of the befuddlement potion?” Professor June asked, interrupting the potential upcoming bullying. At her voice, Scorpius relaxed slightly, and the ink stopped shaking. If Scorpius noticed, he didn’t say anything. “Mr. Potter?” Albus looked up at the Professor and then back at his own parchment which remained empty. He hardly ever took notes, Scorpius’ were always more detailed anyway.

_Think, Albus, the ingredients of the befuddlement draught. You know this, Scorpius told you them at breakfast when he’d been reading the book._

“Scurvy grass,” he recalled. “Lovage and Sneezewort…?” He asked, tentatively, but judging by Scorpius small proud smile, he was right.

“Correct, I’m glad someone did their reading, ten points to Slytherin,” she rewarded, before moving on and asking another student something else.

“Malfoy,” the boy spat again once the attention was away from them.

Albus turned quickly. “What do you want?”

“Albus,” Scorpius warned.

“I have something to ask him,” the boy – Lincoln Kyle – was a fellow Slytherin and up until the time-turner incident, had never given Albus and Scorpius the time of day. He never even bothered bullying them. However, upon their return, he was just as angry as the rest of the Slytherins with them. He started calling them the names that they’d been given in their first year and began asking ‘completely innocent’ questions about their adventure which usually led to traumatic memories being dragged to the surface. It was a very Slytherin way of bullying.

“Ask me,” Albus said. Lincoln considered this for a moment, then shrugged, clearly figuring Scorpius wasn’t going to answer him any time soon.

“Is it true he’s used the Cruciatus Curse on muggle-borns?” Due to the case of Delphi becoming so famous, somehow details of the previous events leaked to the press when Scorpius and Albus testified. There was nothing too drastic, especially details like that, leaked to the press, but people had wild imaginations and often filled in blanks. Albus wouldn’t have any idea if he really had because Scorpius refused to talk about anything that happened in the world where Voldemort ruled apart from the important parts.

Beside him, Scorpius tensed at the question.

“No, it’s not,” Albus replied easily and turned to face the front of the classroom again. Lincoln left it, but Scorpius was quiet for the rest of the morning.

Albus didn’t know a lot about that version of reality, but he did know that when Scorpius returned, he couldn’t bear to touch his wand. He barely looked at it. It was left untouched on his desk for weeks. The first time he had it on him was when Delphi snapped it in half and dropped it down the Owlery. He may have cried out in loss, but Albus suspected a part of him was glad to be rid of it. He wasn’t so reluctant to touch his new wand. Until now, it had never occurred to Albus to ask why.

So, he did ask.

Later that evening, they were walking through a particularly barren part of the castle. They had finished dinner early to try and get some alone time before they had to return to the dorm. Scorpius’ hand was wrapped in his comfortably, because there was no one around to catch them. He was leading Albus somewhere, and because Albus loved him, he blindly followed. As they rounded a corner on the sixth floor, Albus decided to bring it up.

“Remember last year when you stopped using your wand? And magic altogether actually, for those few weeks? Why was that?” He tried to frame the question as least probing as possible. Scorpius squeezed his hand as he tensed up at the question, then quickly relaxed.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he mumbled, leading Albus around another corner.

“Is it bad?”

“Something like that. Maybe one day I’ll be ready to tell you. Let’s just say I was glad to see that wand gone,” his voice was shaky as he led Albus up a set of stairs he’d never seen before. Hogwarts really was a mystery sometimes.

“It’s okay, no pressure,” he said because he meant it. If talking about it was too hard, then Albus would never push him. He never wanted Scorpius to feel uncomfortable.

Once they reached the top of the stairs, Albus recognised where he was. He had never been up to the seventh floor in any way other than the grand staircase, so Albus found himself amazed when he recognised the alcove that hid the room of requirement.

“Why are we here?”

“Because I want to try something,” Scorpius responded, beginning his pacing back and forth. Sure enough, the room appeared, and Scorpius grabbed Albus’ hand and led him in. “It worked!” He yelped, running up to the only thing that appeared in the room and inspecting it closely. It was a mirror. Albus walked over to it, half confused, and half interested.

Albus stood in front of it, inspecting himself in the mirror whilst Scorpius admired the framework. He had no idea what Scorpius found so exciting. Albus watched as another figure appeared in the frame, he looked next to him, but Scorpius hadn’t appeared beside him. But, when Albus looked back at the mirror, Scorpius was there holding his hand.

“Er, Scor?” Albus said, unsure.

“Yeah?” He replied from behind the mirror. He seemed too far away considering Albus was staring at his reflection – no, it couldn’t be a reflection. His… whatever.

“What is this?” As he spoke, more figures appeared in the mirror. His mother was behind him, a hand on his shoulder, his father with a hand on the other shoulder and one on Scorpius’. Draco was there too, standing by Scorpius’ side. Lily and James were there too. And they were all… smiling.

“The mirror of Erised,” he popped up from behind the frame, looking at Albus with a huge grin. “Oh, you’re… what do you see?” He seemed too cautious to approach Albus and stayed firmly by the side of the frame.

“Me and you, and our parents. And we’re all smiling and happy,” Albus, confused as he was, found himself smiling at the image before him.

“That’s really sweet. The mirror shows your deepest desire. You want our parents to accept us and be happy for us,” Scorpius was moved. They shared a glance. Scorpius had a proud smile on his lips as he looked at Albus. He looked completely smitten, Albus was glad to have that kind of effect.

Albus took one more look at his family before stepping out the frame. “Did you want a go?”

“Oh, erm,” he pondered, biting down on his bottom lip. Pride turned quickly into trepidation. Scorpius started wringing his hands together as the nerves became too much for him to contain. Scorpius had always had a nervous predisposition, but Albus had seen how much it had increased within the past year. It made him regret dragging him along on their adventure (if it could even be called that, weren’t adventures supposed to be fun?) even more. “Okay.”

He hesitated before stepping into the frame of the mirror. For a long time, he never dared look. He kept his gaze on floor, scuffing his shoes together. His lips were moving slightly, and Albus guessed he was repeating a mantra in his head. Feeling like he needed some encouragement, Albus took a few steps and grabbed his hand, squeezing it for good measure, then rubbed his thumb over his knuckles.

As though that was all the encouragement he needed, Scorpius looked up and met eyes with his own. The room was eerily quiet whilst the mirror determined Scorpius’ deepest desire. Albus looked at the mirror, too, as though he’d be able to see it appear, but only his own desires reflected upon him.

Scorpius gasped. When Albus pulled his eyes away from the mirror to look at him, his bottom lip was trembling between his teeth.

“What is it?” Albus spoke so quietly that he barely heard himself, if the room hadn’t been so quiet the words would have been lost to the world.

Scorpius took a deep breath. “M-mum,” was all he could reply. He took a small step closer and reached his hand out to where Albus imagined his mum was standing in the mirror. “Can I- do you mind if I spend some time here alone?” It was a strange request, they never did anything alone. However, if it’s what Scorpius wanted, then Albus was not going to deny that request.

“If you need that,” he responded. Scorpius looked at him, the tears welling behind his piercing grey eyes, and nodded. “No problem, I’ll see you at the dorm,” he pecked Scorpius’ lips softly before turning towards the door. He stepped out the room, but just before the door closed behind him, he heard Scorpius break into a fit of sobs.

Albus’ heart broke.

He considered going back in to comfort him, but if Scorpius asked to be alone, this was clearly something he needed to do. With a heavy heart, knowing his boyfriend was hurting and there was nothing he could do about it, Albus trudged back the dungeons.

 

* * *

 

 

“And Albus is incredible you know, he takes really good care of me. I think you’d like him, actually no, I _know_ you’d _love_ him. You like kind people and Albus is the kindest. Once you get past the broodiness and aloofness, he’s actually incredibly sweet and charming. Oh, and beautiful. Honestly, mum, you’d adore him,” Scorpius rambled, unable to take his eyes of his mother.

He only wished she could respond.

Instead her image was gazing down at Scorpius’ reflection with an enthralling grin planted across her face. She looked beautiful, even more beautiful than he remembered. It had only been two years, but Scorpius couldn’t remember her voice anymore. He knew it was sweet, and gentle and kind, but he could no longer hear it the way he used to be able to.

Scorpius took a deep breath and sighed. “Speaking of the devil, I should probably get back. No doubt curfew is soon, and he’ll be worried.” Scorpius swallowed the lump in his throat and stood up. He stroked his hand over the glass where his mother was watching his reflection, desperate to touch her one last time. Before he let the tears fall again, Scorpius turned quickly and left the room of requirement.

Scorpius avoided the Grand Staircase, knowing that if curfew was approaching, the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws would be returning to their common rooms. Instead, he took the same staircase he’d brought Albus on. He had discovered it towards the end of their fourth year but had only just had the chance to show Albus.

Scorpius took to a gentle jog as he descended the stairs, reaching the sixth floor then taking another staircase typically only used by Slytherins as a faster way to the dungeons. With his head down as he jogged, he never saw or heard the other person coming his way – not until he collided directly with them of course.

Scorpius went flying to the floor, tumbling down a few stairs before he managed to catch himself from going any further. He grunted in pain as he opened his eyes, seeing a blonde girl already on her knees collecting the stuff that had gone flying from both their bags. When his vision adjusted completed, he recognised the girl has the Head Girl, Cassie – the one James Potter had his eye on.

“I’m really sorry,” Scorpius began, going over to help gather the lost items. “I wasn’t looking where I was going.” Mostly, it was his things that had somehow scattered rather than hers, but she helped him either way. His eyes settled on a cracked ink pot and his heart dropped. “Shit, is that yours? I’m really sorry if it is, I can fix it,” he scrambled, one hand hovering near the broken object, the other reaching for his wand.

“No, it’s yours,” she replied, finally saying something. She looked at him and their eyes met for the first time. “Oh, Malfoy, right?” She asked.

“Right. Er- Scorpius,” he corrected. He hated it when people referred to him by his last name.

“I’m sorry, too. Wasn’t looking where I was going. I’m late for my prefect rounds – I know, good first impression as Head Girl,” she chuckled.

“Late? Is it past curfew?” He asked, worry spiking through him. Being caught out of curfew on the first night is not going to bode well for his reputation – one he was desperately trying to fix.

“No, we start just before it. You have about ten minutes, so I’d hurry down if I were you,” she smiled sweetly at him, and handed him back the items she’d collected of his. He did the same.

She dashed off, leaving Scorpius on the stairs. He repaired his cracked ink pot and cleaned up the spilt ink. Once he had gathered himself, Scorpius raced down to the dungeons and made it without any further run-ins with prefects or caretakers.

Scorpius flicked his eyes around the common room first, seeing if Albus had decided to wait for him here or up in the dorm. Upon falling short, Scorpius made a beeline for their shared dorm. It wasn’t late, and he’d seen all his other dorm mates still knocking about the common room, so their dorm would be empty.

As soon as he entered, he was bombarded with questions.

“Where have you been? I was getting worried, curfew ended twenty minutes ago, Scor. Did you get caught? Have you got detention? Are you okay?”

“Woah, Albie, calm down,” Scorpius crossed the room, dropping his bag by his bed before sitting on the edge of Albus’ bed. He was already showered and ready for bed, an open textbook lying untouched on his bed. “Curfew ended twenty minutes ago?” Why had Cassie let him off when he was out past curfew?

“Yeah. I figured you’d lost track of time, but then I started getting worried that something happened to you and started really wishing I had the cloak, so I could come looking for you.”

“Hey, it’s fine,” Scorpius said, placing his hands on either side of Albus’ arms. “I saw Cassie and she said I had ten minutes left of curfew. But, that was ten minutes ago and if I’m twenty minutes late, it means she let me off. I don’t know why she’d do that, but I’m not complaining. I’m sorry for worrying you, but I’m okay, honestly.”

He was. Seeing his mother, despite how emotionally debilitating he had been at first, was strangely refreshing. He told her everything he’d ever wanted to tell her since she died. She may not have been able to respond, but in some way it felt like a weight off his chest.

“I know, just I left you in such a state and-”

“I’m here now,” those words alone seemed to calm Albus’ trepidation.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I actually am,” he beamed and Albus beamed back. Scorpius leaned over to kiss him on the forehead. “Anyway, you look shattered, so I’ll leave you to sleep. I’m going to shower.”

“I am tired. First day back always knocks it out of me,” he settled down in his bed, snuggling himself up. Like that, he looked incredibly small. Scorpius wanted nothing more than to climb in next to him and wrap his arms around him. But, that was step they hadn’t taken just yet. They had shared a bed before, but they had never started the night out in a bed together. Mostly, they crept over to each other if one was having a nightmare and hold them until they calmed down. As much as Scorpius wanted to start the night in Albus’ bed, he didn’t want to intrude on somewhere he might not be wanted.

So, he picked up the textbook and settled it down on the bedside table. He leaned over to kiss Albus goodnight and closed the curtains for him. Then, he showered himself, got into clean pyjamas and settled himself in bed with a book. Before he felt his eyes growing tired, he cast a silencing spell over his and Albus’ beds, so that if one of them was to wake up screaming in the middle of the night, the other boys wouldn’t be able to hear them. He settled his wand and book down, snuggled into his duvet, and fell peacefully into sleep.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drawing by: https://secretlydreamingofgansey.tumblr.com/post/184740701097/hey-everyone-the-amazing-anarcherboyandawarlock ! She worked on my last fic for me and she's agreed to draw for this one too so thank you to her and I hope you all like it!  
> Kudos and comments welcome, I'd love to hear your thoughts!


	2. More Than an Ounce of Magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scorpius makes a discovery, one completely out of his control.

_The only thing he could feel aside from the rapid heat was Albus' hand firmly in his. The heat surrounding them was debilitating, sweat beading down their foreheads, glistening orange from the firelight. Albus was so close to him that Scorpius could feel his rapidly beating heart._

_“What do we do?” Albus asked, but Scorpius had no answer. The flames danced around them, fiercely and uncontrollably, trapping them in a circle. Scorpius retrieved his wand from his robes, holding it limply in his right hand. It wasn’t his wand hand and the notion felt foreign._

_“Aguamenti,” he bellowed, aiming his wand at the oncoming flames. A splutter of water, but not enough._

_"Aguamenti," he tried again._

_Nothing._

_He was suffocating, the smoke wrapping around his lungs and clogging his throat._

_As the flames grew closer, Scorpius pulled him and Albus to the floor. He wrapped his body around Albus to protect him._

_"Aguamenti!" He tried once more, but this time a burst of flames erupted from his wand, aggravating the already growing fire. The last thing he heard was the crackling of fire and Albus' strangled scream._

* * *

 

 

The smell of burning rose Albus from his slumber. He rubbed his eyes slowly, for sure the smell was a trick of his tired mind and turned over. He would have fallen back to sleep, if it wasn’t for the crackling sound he heard next, followed by Scorpius’ sobs of distress.

Albus jumped into alertness mode, pulling his curtains back rapidly. There were orange flames surrounding Scorpius’ bed, caught alight by the curtains and starting to eat them up. With his heart beating faster than it ever had before, Albus grabbed his wand from the bedside table.

“AGUAMENTI,” he screamed, thankfully dousing the fire with one wave of his wand, the flames disappearing in a flash. “Scorpius?” He half-shouted, running over to his bed and ripping the curtains – or what was left of them - open, ignoring the burning heat in his fingers as he touched where the flames had been. Scorpius was writhing dramatically, slight murmurs emitting from his lips, but he hadn't woken. On his duvet were burn holes the size of his fingertips where Scorpius had been clutching it hard in his sleep.

“Scorpius?” Albus said again, trying to extinguish his worry. He reached over to shake him. A hissing noise registered with Albus first from the contact of his palm on Scorpius’ arm. The pain registered next. “Argh!” He yelped, pulling his hand away and watching as the burn turned quickly to blisters. He clenched his teeth through the pain. “Scorpius!” He shouted again, and this time the other boy woke with a jump.

He blinked bleary eyes towards him, his mouth forming a question. He fell short as he took in his surroundings: his burnt curtains; Albus’ throbbing palm and worried, weary look; the sweat beading down his forehead; the heat of his body. His expression when from sleepy to confused to worry in a second.

“Wha- what happened?” He made to grab Albus’ hand to inspect it when Albus pulled away. “Albus, what’s wrong? Who did that?” He had climbed out of his bed now, his face contorted into concern. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his arm and ran a trembling hand through his hair. His other hand was outstretched as though to touch Albus, but he was too scared to make the move.

“You did.” Albus was sure he saw Scorpius’ heart plummet to the ground. It made him immediately feel guilty for admitting it. Scorpius clearly didn’t mean to because he didn’t even know. “What’s going on?”

“I’m not entirely sure. Will you just… let me,” he held his hands out again awkwardly, gesturing towards Albus’ burnt palm. Albus took a deep breath and nodded, holding his hand out to Scorpius. Scorpius gently took Albus’ wrist in his palm,  his other hand warily hovering above it. Albus tried to ignore the throbbing in his palm and focused solely on Scorpius’ look of intent. When Albus realised Scorpius’ grasp on his wrist wasn’t going to burn him again, he started to relax slightly. Scorpius was chewing on his bottom lip as he inspected Albus’ hand, reaching over to illuminate his wand to see better. 

In the luminescent wand light, Scorpius looked extremely young. His hair was shaggy, something he hardly ever let it do these days, and his eyes wild and tired. There were black circles around his eyes, evidence of the weeks of fragmented sleep. Those black circles seemed to be a permanent feature on Scorpius' pale face now, and Albus wondered if they would ever heal from last years adventure to be able to function like normal human beings. Watching Scorpius inspect his palm, the concentrated look on his face, Albus almost forgot what had happened.

“I can heal it and apply some burn cream, if- if you want me to. Or, we can go to Madame Pomfrey or Matron Abbot-”

“No, no. I trust you,” Albus cut him off. Albus would put his life in the hands of Scorpius if he needed, he trusted him to clean up a little burn. Scorpius smiled slightly, looking at Albus through his hair that had fallen in front of his eyes. From that short look, Albus could tell he felt incredibly guilty. It made his own heart plummet. Albus reached up to move the strands of hair from his face and Scorpius smiled gratefully.

He lifted his wand and performed a healing incantation. Albus watched in fascination as the blisters healed themselves at Scorpius’ command. Upon finishing that, Scorpius placed his wand between his teeth and reached over to get a burn cream from a draw in his bedside table. He carefully rubbed it over Albus’ sore hand, but the pain had already eased. After the burn cream had been applied, Scorpius pulled Albus’ hand to his lips and kissed it gently.

“There, all better,” he whispered. “I’m sorry, love. What happened?” Albus dropped his hand and sat down on Scorpius’ bed. Scorpius copied him, crossing his legs opposite Albus.

“I woke up and your curtains were on fire," Scorpius dropped his gaze on Albus to stare at the burnt curtains, calculating how exactly that must have happened. "So I put them out and came over to you, but you hadn’t woken up, so I touched your arm to wake you up and it burnt my hand. I don’t really know how,” Albus shrugged. "I just know your skin was really hot, abnormally." Albus raked his eyes over Scorpius' form, checking for any obvious injuries.

Scorpius seemed at a loss for words, and instead of directly addressing the situation, he went straight in for an apology. “I’m really sorry, Albie,” Scorpius stroked a thumb over Albus’ cheek, tears welling in his eyes. “I never meant to hurt you,” he whispered.

“I know, Scor. Of course I know. You’re the softest person ever, I know you never meant to. It’s okay, I promise.” Albus took Scorpius hand from his cheek and kissed his knuckles. “Has this happened before?” He asked, hoping Scorpius had some incline into what the bloody hell was going on. It would certainly put Albus' mind at ease. It was not normal for your skin to burn so hot it creates third degree burns – especially if Scorpius himself couldn’t feel his skin being that hot. Albus took a glance at Scorpius’ arm where he touched him and found the spot completely clear of any burn. He had only hurt Albus and not himself.

“Sort of, once,” he admitted. “In the summer I had a dream similar to the one I had tonight. It didn’t wake me up, but when I did wake up the next day this was there.” Albus saw him take a deep breath before he tore his hands from Albus’ and lifted up his shirt. There, painted across his ribs and waist were tiny little burns no bigger than his fingertips - not unlike the ones on his duvet currently. Each one had healed over, but left behind were tiny pink scars, a stark contrast compared to his pale tone. Albus ran his fingers over each one of them, feeling the bump in his skin as he did. “I healed them myself and bought burn cream from Diagon Alley to ease the scars.”

"You did this?" Albus asked. He wanted to take the scars away, he wanted to kiss them until they faded into his skin. But he knew that was impossible. And besides, what was it his father always tells him:  _scars remind us where we've been._

"I assume so," Scorpius responded, watching Albus trace the scars on his body. 

“What was the dream about?” Albus asked, still fascinated with them. A few little scars would never change anything, Scorpius was beautiful with or without scars.

“We were trapped in a fire and my magic wasn’t strong enough to put it out.”

“That’s not possible,” Albus looked at him. “You’re brilliant at magic.”

Scorpius shrugged. “It’s just what I dream.”

“So, you dream about fire, then you wake up burnt or burn me and your curtains are on fire? Scor, to me, it sounds like you’re doing accidental magic.” If this was news to Scorpius, his face didn’t show it. Instead, he bit down on his bottom lip. “You already knew that?”

He nodded sheepishly. “It’s happened a few times whilst awake as well, usually in a state of heightened emotion. And sometimes, it’s not accidental magic so much as it’s wandless magic.”

“Wandless?”

“Yeah. I was duelling with my dad over the summer for practice and he managed to summon my wand, and just as he was about to cast what would have been the final spell to end the duel, I cast the shield spell and my dads spell backfired at him. I guess that means I won, but we were both so shocked we didn’t really talk about the logistics,” he chuckled slightly, if only to ease the tension he was feeling.

“Wow, you’re better than I thought.” Albus knew his face resembled that of amazement and pride. He had always admired Scorpius' magical ability. Albus' charm work was mediocre at best and Scorpius was just always better than him. But, not in a bad way. Albus liked that Scorpius was good at magic, it suited him. Then there was the way his magic  _felt_. Albus loved Scorpius' magic more than anything. If he ever needed a warming charm, he would always ask Scorpius to cast it for more reasons that the fact that he was better at them. His magic felt warm, guided, like home. It was a comfort at the end of a long day. It was protective and safe. It resembled Scorpius in the purest ways. This - what had just happened - was so unlike Scorpius that it shocked Albus, but not scared him. No, Albus could never be scared of him.

“No, I’m not,” he protested, eyes intense in the dimmed lighting. “I feel out of control. I don’t like that, what if I hurt somebody? What if I hurt you? Again?” Albus took Scorpius’ hands in his and rubbed his thumb over his knuckles. They were still trembling, but Albus’ touch seemed to calm him slightly.

“You won’t and if you’re that worried we should tell someone. Your dad, or McGonagall, they’ll know what to do.”

“It’s fine,” he brushed it off, “it’s just temporary, I’m sure I’ll figure it out.” He smiled the biggest fake smile Albus had ever seen him do. Because Albus didn’t want to push him, he smiled back. Albus adjusted his position so he was sitting in Scorpius’ lap, legs wrapped around his waist and arms around his neck. For a split second, Scorpius tensed up, as if scared he was going to hurt Albus. Once he realised he was under control, he relaxed and leaned against Albus’ chest, his ear over his beating heart.

“Just so you know, Scor,” Albus whispered, stroking the back of Scorpius’ hair. “I’m not scared of you, and whatever this is we’ll figure it out together, okay?” Scorpius nodded against him.

“I love you,” he mumbled into Albus’ chest. Albus felt his heart constrict, doing a somersault that only Scorpius could make it do. All the worry and concern of the night dissipated, and he let himself melt into Scorpius.

“I love you, too,” he whispered into his hair.

They stayed like that for a while, tangled in each other and breathing in the other persons scent - Scorpius smelt faintly of smoke alongside coconut shampoo. They were so close that Albus wasn’t sure where he ended and where Scorpius began, but that was how he could stay forever if given the choice. There was no one else in this entire world he’d rather spend the rest of his life with. Scorpius was the sun, the moon and everything in between and he meant more to Albus than anything else in the entire world.

Whatever this was, whatever was going wrong with his magic, they would figure it out together. That was how it’d had been for so long now, him and Scorpius against the world. Maybe one day, the world would be kind to them and grant them happiness. Maybe that day they’d be Albus and Scorpius and the world, not against it. But until then, they only had each other and until then, Albus was totally okay with that.

 

* * *

 

 

Albus eventually drifted off into sleep for another couple of hours in Scorpius’ bed. Scorpius, however, couldn’t bring himself to sleep. He was – as much as he wouldn’t admit it – too nervous for what the dreams and his uncontrollable magic meant for him. And, if his magic was most uncontrollable whilst he slept, he wouldn’t risk causing Albus any harm by sleeping in the same bed as him. The guilt from accidentally burning his hand was bad enough, Scorpius couldn’t deal with anything potentially worse.

Instead, he sat up and read through his charms book ready for the lesson the next day. It was a relief when Albus rose alongside the sun and he could label the night as yet another bad one and move on. They rose, got ready and left for breakfast before the rest of the boys in their dorm to swiftly avoid them. Generally, they were on good terms, but they still preferred to not engage in conversation with them.

Actually, that was usually how most things went now. Their popularity hadn’t changed in the slightest since their fourth-year antics, and to be honest, neither Albus or Scorpius wanted it to change. They had no desire to befriend people who had been teasing them for years and those people had no desire to stop teasing them. They were still the joke of the school, the Slytherin Squib and Voldemort’s Son, but if they had each other then that made everything okay. Scorpius had way too much anxiety to try and make new friends anyway.

They settled down at the Slytherin table for breakfast, the rest of the hall mostly empty aside from a few other students. First years who were eager for their classes (they were so innocent), or seventh years already slumped with N.E.W.T. homework from their first day. Albus’ brother was sat at the Gryffindor table by himself, but Albus ignored him.

Albus sat next to Scorpius, holding his hand firmly under the table and using his free one to pour himself a coffee and Scorpius a tea, whilst Scorpius gathered all their breakfast favourites – toast, eggs, sausage and bacon – onto two separate plates. He slid Albus’ plate across to him and Albus’ returned the gesture with his tea. Scorpius gave him a sappy smile before picking up his tea and taking the first sip, letting the warmth spread through his body and wake his tired eyes.

“Wow, what are you guys, married?” A voice joked, snapping Scorpius from his thoughts. He heard Albus scoff as James planted himself opposite them. Beneath the table, Albus let go of Scorpius’ hand. A wave of longing washed over Scorpius, but there was nothing he could do about it, so he pushed a smile onto his tired features.

“Morning, James,” he greeted, forcing as much chirpiness into his voice as possible.

James stopped pouring his coffee to look at Scorpius. “You’re way too happy for this time in the morning,” he mumbled, continuing to pour his coffee. Once completed, he sipped it happily.

“Are all Potter men grumpy before they get their morning coffee?” Scorpius teased, trying not to linger his gaze too long on Albus for fear of giving away their relationship status. The worst thing about their secret relationship was Scorpius was hyper-aware of  _everything_ in regard to Albus. Was he sitting too close? Was he staring too much? Was he secretly flirting and didn't know it? To avoid such detection, he flicked his eyes between James, Albus and his plate of food.

“If you think we’re bad you should see Lily and mum,” Albus grumbled, reaching over to grab Scorpius’ toast off his plate.

“What’s wrong with your toast?” Scorpius asked, mouth gaping in shock.

Albus shrugged. “Yours looked better.” Scorpius shook his head at him, but quickly buttered and ate his final piece of toast before Albus had the chance to take that one too.

“Seriously, you guys act like an old married couple,” James spoke, flicking his eyes suspiciously between the two of them.

“What do you want, James?” Albus spat.

“To spend time with my favourite brother.”

“I’m your only brother.”

“And therefore favourite by default.”

“Whatever.” Even Scorpius had to admit Albus’ comebacks were not as witty as usual, it must have been because he was tired. James wore a smug smile before turning his attention back to Scorpius. Scorpius’ nerves instantly increased. James had never bullied him and Albus exactly, but he also had never stopped bullies. Scorpius was aware that James wasn’t a big fan of him, especially because James believed the rumour that started going around after Albus and Scorpius returned from time.

The rumour was simple: it had been printed in the school newspaper, _Hog Gossip!_ (set up three years ago by Lara Creevey, people could send in anonymous tips about gossip going on in the school. It also printed about Quidditch scores and the various clubs being set up on the grounds, as well as romantic gossip, a who’s hot and who’s not list and many other stupid columns. Overall, it was a hit amongst students, and Scorpius had avoided being in it until last year). The rumour was that Scorpius had convinced Albus to go back in time with him, so Scorpius could meet his real dad – Lord Voldemort. Of course, that was not the case. But, even after Harry Potter released a statement that Scorpius was not the son of Voldemort and in fact, Delphi was his daughter, the rumours never faded completed. It would be a rumour that would follow him for the rest of his life, and Scorpius was just about coming to terms with it.

James believed that ridiculous rumour, as did everyone else in the school. Albus tried to tell him the truth, but was fighting a losing battle, so Scorpius told him to drop it. If James Potter wanted to hate him for false reasons, there was really nothing Scorpius could do about that. He wished he didn’t, and he wished they could get along like Scorpius did with Lily – Albus’ younger sister, but James was hard to reason with. Truthfully, Scorpius was kind of scared of him, not that he’d ever admit that out loud.

“So, Voldy J-”

“Don’t call him that,” Albus quickly interrupted, sending daggers his brothers way. Scorpius tried to settle his own nerves at the nickname. It was quite possibly the worst name to be called, he’d take literally anything over that.

“So, Riddle Junior.” Except maybe that. “Planning any spontaneous adventures that may get my brother killed this year?”

Anger was not an emotion Scorpius was particularly familiar with. He had felt it, he was human after all, but he tried to bury it as much as he could. It wasn’t an emotion he liked feeling. In fact, he was positively terrified of feeling anger. However, in that moment, in bubbled through him like boiling water, spreading through his bones.

“Because, Albus is kind of weak and a bit of a follower, he won’t be able to say no.”

The feeling of anger became stronger. The overpowering need to protect Albus, to defend him fired through him, aggravating the anger he already felt. He could feel his skin getting hotter and tried force it away. He clenched his jaw to stop it from shaking and gripped hard onto his fork to contain his seething rage.

“Albus is not weak,” he muttered through gritted teeth. Albus could sense Scorpius’ anger despite how hard he tried to contain it. He reached over and placed a hand on his knee, but for once the action did little to soothe him. Before James could reply, Scorpius’ cup of tea shattered into pieces before them.

Scorpius jumped, anger dissipating into shock as he stared at the shattered mug, the leftover tea crawling its way across the wooden table. He instantly clasped his hands, holding them to his chest as though they were the cause of the breakage. His jaw shook, tears stinging behind his eyes as he followed the trail of tea, watching it soak into the wood. _He_ had done that. _He_ broke it without even meaning to.

He wanted to cry. He wanted to scream. He could feel his magic pulsating through his blood and bones, pounding against his skin, desperate to be heard. To be seen. To be felt. It wanted out. It wanted to wreak havoc. It wanted to live, not die. Scorpius had been trying to suppress it, and it wasn’t having that any longer.

“Woah, no need to cry over spilt tea,” James joked, grasping Scorpius’ expression and laughing at him. The magic responded by jolting inside him, it was practically jumping up and down repeating the same thing over and over: _destroy him._

"Shut up, James!" Albus scolded.

Scorpius stood abruptly, his knees painfully knocking the table (that would bruise later) and causing the cutlery and plates to shake from the movement. He frantically started gathering his things, but they kept tumbling out his shaking hands. Scorpius eventually gave up and stepped out of the bench. Albus stood to follow him.

“No,” Scorpius snapped a little too harshly, his voice a shaking mess. “No, Albus please, don’t follow me. I don’t want to hurt you, please!” He held his hands in a stop motion towards Albus, before pulling them back into his chest and turning to walk away. In his haste, he collided harshly with – yet again – Cassie Kingsley, who’s books fell from her arms.

“Oh, Scorpius, I’m sorry, my fault.” He looked at her, but he was really seeing through her. The world seemed to be moving so fast that his eyes couldn’t keep up. “I accidentally picked up one of your books yesterday,” her sweet voice sounded in his ears.

“Give it to Albus,” he heard himself say before turning and running from the Great Hall.

His magic pulsated through him with every step, burning his muscles. He swiftly avoided students making their way to breakfast, careful not to touch anyone in his haste for fresh air. His magic was about to explode from him and he needed desperately to minimise the casualties. He tried pushing it away, but the more he pushed the worse it pushed back.

A wave of fresh end-of-summer air hit him as it exited the castle. The uneven grass beneath his feet caused his ankles to sear in pain, the pressure of running breaking through his bones. It seemed his magic was the only thing keeping him upright. His muscles burned from running as his feet carried him down to the lake.

Once there, Scorpius wasn’t sure why he was there exactly. He wasn’t sure how he really got there, the journey mostly a blur. All he knew was that his magic needed to be released. He took a quick glance around, but no students were present in favour of breakfast. When he cleared his conscience, Scorpius screamed.

He screamed so loud the birds flew from the trees, the lake responded with ripples, the silence broken by distress. He dropped to his knees, screaming louder as his magic erupted from him in a blur of orange and blue, of sprinkles and stardust, of light and dark. His skin burned, sweat beading down his forehead. Scorpius tore at his collar to loosen the pressure around his neck, but it did little, the magic strangling him as he tore from beneath his skin.

Finally, when the screaming stopped, and his magic was depleted, Scorpius collapsed on the ground, utterly fatigued.

From the distance, someone watched. They watched as the elder tree caught fire out of nowhere, the crackling barely audible over the blond-haired boys screams. They watched as he drew water from the lake and doused the tree in it, extinguishing the flames. They watched as sticks and stones levitated themselves and were hurtled to penetrate the lakes peaceful waves. They watched as every ounce of suppressed magic erupted from him. And they smiled. For sure, the boy would be as powerful as they hoped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry about James: he's a dick but means well, I will redeem him.  
> Drawing once again by: https://secretlydreamingofgansey.tumblr.com/  
> Thank you for reading! Would love to hear your thoughts! :))


	3. No Control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scorpius begins to get his magic under control, and Albus and Scorpius decide to join the duelling club.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a bit of a long one, hope you're not complaining :D

_Fifi,_

_We were right, he’s powerful. Very powerful._

_He’s the one we need, he’ll follow us blindly, especially if we can get Albus on board too. This is going to work, Fifi, I just know it._

_Much love, M._

 

* * *

 

When Scorpius finally caught his breath, he opened his eyes. Above him the clouds moved gently with the breeze, white balls of fluff calming his beating heart. The tranquillity of the blue sky began to make him feel at peace. For a moment, all was well. For a moment, he hadn’t lost control. For a moment, Scorpius was free from the clutches of his magic. Until his eyes caught sight of the burnt elder tree beside him and dread plummeted over him.

The tree – once so bright and full of life – was covered in soot, the leaves burnt to a crisp as the branches hung sadly from the water weighing them down. Scorpius scrambled to his feet and walked the short distance to the tree. Nimble fingers ran along the bumps and dents of the trunk, black ash collecting on his fingertips. His heart ached. He had destroyed a piece of nature, the worlds most beautiful creation. And he didn't even know exactly how he did it. The whole thing was a blur.

He scrambled for his wand tucked into his robes and searched his mind for a possible incantation that can undo his damage but came up short. The ground swayed beneath him as his legs threatened to collapse. Exhaustion crashed over him, but he forced it away and made his weak legs carry him back up to the castle, leaving his destruction behind.

His body shook with threatening tears and fatigue. He clasped his arms tightly around him as he walked back up to the castle, feeling more stable when uneven grass was replaced with stone flooring built for walking. Upon entering the Great Hall and seeing the crowds of people, he almost broke down. He was too dangerous to be standing here, he could hurt all of them without it being his fault.

His eyes searched instantly for Albus, who was still sat where he left him. He was chatting happily away with James, Lily and… Cassie? As well as a couple other seventh years that Scorpius didn’t know the name of. He swallowed his nerves and his tears, wrapped his robes around him as a shield and walked over to Albus and his new group of friends.

“Hey,” he heard himself say, though it sounded too distant to be his own voice. Albus’ happy expression instantly faded into concern. He pulled Scorpius down onto the bench by his elbow, but never let his grip linger. Scorpius wished he would. He wanted nothing more than for Albus to hold him right now, for him to tell him that everything would be okay. That he wasn’t a monster because right now, Scorpius felt like a monster.

“Is everything okay?” Albus asked, concern lacing his tone.

“Yeah,” he lied. Albus didn’t believe him for a second but didn’t push with their current company around. Instead, his left his hand on Scorpius’ thigh under the table and rubbed circles with his thumb. Albus would never understand how much that little gesture meant to him.

“What was the freak out about, mate?” James asked, insensitive as always.

Lily elbowed him hard in the ribs. “Shut up, James. Why can’t you just be nice for once?” Scorpius smiled thankfully at Lily, who returned it with just as much enthusiasm.

He liked Lily. He had never really spoken to her much in the time he’d been friends with Albus, mostly because Albus kept himself isolated from his family. However, when the business with the time-turner last year was over, Lily came up to him and thanked him for protecting Albus, even though Scorpius felt pretty useless throughout the entire situation. It was a nice gesture, and they’d started speaking more since. She would often challenge him to games of chess and they would also share their book recommendations. Lily – much like Scorpius – loved magical creatures and healing. She wanted to be a magizoologist, but specialise in healing for magical creatures. Scorpius thought it was amazing that someone as young as thirteen already had a career in mind, but then Scorpius remembered that he’d decided on being a healer when he was nine. Because of their shared interests, the got on like a house on fire. Albus loved it too because it meant Lily spent more time with them. Scorpius knew that if it came down to it, he would protect Lily with everything he had, and she would do the same for him. It was nice to know there was someone outside of Albus that liked him too.

“I was just asking a question, Lulu,” James retorted, and Lily elbowed him again.

“Be more sensitive about it then,” she turned to Scorpius. “Are you okay? Al said you weren’t feeling well.”

“I guess you could say that,” he replied, shrugging his shoulders, his body aching at the movement.

“You don’t look well, Scorpius,” it was Cassie who spoke up next. Scorpius just wished they would all move on, he hated being the centre of attention.

“I’m fine. Thank you for returning my book, sorry I snapped earlier.”

“That’s okay,” she smiled sweetly at him and he forced the same one back.

“Albus, forgive me, but I don’t think I can deal with classes today,” Scorpius said, turning to Albus.

“No worries, Scor, you take your time,” he replied, gently. If they were alone, Albus would have taken Scorpius cheeks in his hands and rubbed his thumb gently over his cheek bones. He would have kissed his nose lightly. He would have pulled him into a hug and whispered in his ear that he loved him and to feel better soon – whether that meant mentally or physically. He would have tucked Scorpius up in bed and kissed his forehead.

But, they weren’t alone. They were very much in public. Scorpius just had to long for the feeling of Albus’ hands in his cheeks. In that moment, he couldn’t remember a single reason why they wanted to keep this a secret. Scorpius realised that he wanted to be able to hold Albus’ hand in public, he wanted to be able to kiss him, to hug him for a heartbeat too long, to flirt with him overtly. He wanted him. He wanted the world to know about them and he didn’t care what they thought.

Then, Albus moved his hand from his thigh and Scorpius knew Albus wasn’t as ready as he was.

He walked back to the dorm with a heavy heart.

He collapsed onto Albus’ bed as soon as he entered the dorm, kicking his shoes off just before. He buried his face into Albus’ pillow, breathing in the scent of Albus – of vanilla and coffee – and let himself long for his boyfriends’ arms. He pulled the duvet over him and closed the curtains. He hugged one of Albus’ pillows whilst keeping his face buried in the other and cried. He sobbed and sobbed until his weary heart felt too exhausted to carry on. He let the sobs erupt from him, all the guilt of his accidental magic pouring out of him in forms of tears and leaving wet patches on Albus’ pillow. He body ached from the shaking sobs and tensed form. He cried until all that was left was sniffles emitting from his shaking form and slowly drifted into a heavy sleep.

He prayed as he drifted off that he wouldn’t destroy anything as precious as nature or Albus again as sleep overcame him.

  

* * *

 

 

“Al, spill it. What’s going on with him?” James asked as soon as Scorpius was out of ear shot. Albus kept his gaze on Scorpius until he disappeared from the Great Hall and out of Albus’ sight. His heart instantly felt heavy at the separation. He wished there was something he could do to stop whatever was happening, but he came up short on an answer.

He shrugged and turned to James. “I don’t know,” he answered, truthfully. He didn’t know what was wrong with Scorpius. If he did, he would have found a way to fix it by now.

“Because he looked like he was about to explode when he ran out of here earlier.”

“Yeah, he didn’t look too great,” Cassie agreed. Albus wondered exactly when he had invited them all to sit with him. James showed up unannounced, Cassie shortly after with a book for Scorpius who James then invited to stay. Albus didn’t even know who she was until yesterday, yet she’s acting like she’s known Scorpius for years.

“I didn’t realise you were all so well acquainted with him,” Albus muttered bitterly into his coffee. Lily let out a chuckle and shook her head at him, which in Lily speak meant that his actions were strangely approved of. Maybe she felt the same as he did.

“Just making an observation Albus, jeez,” James scoffed.

“He’s fine,” Albus reiterated. “I’m going to class.” Albus rose, grabbing his bag and downing the rest of his coffee before sauntering out the room. Lily ran quickly after him.

“Albus, wait up!” Albus froze for a second to wait for Lily. She caught up quickly, and Albus carried on walking, making his way up to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. Lily walked quickly next to him, fumbling around in her bag. Albus spared her a glance, watching as she pulled a notebook from her bag and started thumbing through the pages. Her long, red hair fell carelessly in front of her face, obscuring Albus’ view.

“What’s up, Lil?” Albus gave up, knowing Lily needing prompting before speaking otherwise she’d forget her point. She was now reading through some of her notes, though her hair blocked too much of Albus’ view for him to decipher the subject.

“Scorpius, he’s really okay?” She looked up to him now, big brown eyes framed behind thick black-lensed glasses.

“You’re worried about Scorpius?” Albus knew Scorpius and Lily got along very well, but he never expected Lily to care this much.

“He looked drained, Al. Of magic. It’s not even eight-thirty yet, why would he be that drained? And judging by the bags under his eyes, he didn’t sleep very well. You know that could lead to illness, right?” Sometimes, Albus forgets his little sister was only thirteen. She acted so much older and wiser than her age. She was smarter than him by far, and if Scorpius wasn’t a genius himself, Albus thought she’d be smarter than him too.

“Where’s all this coming from?”

“Just tell me he’s okay,” she had a bite to her voice, a bite he’d heard so often from their mother. Lily was a lot like her, sometimes even fiercer.

“He’s okay, Lil. Why'd you ask?” Albus knew he probably should be a bit nicer to his sister, but he also knew he needed to be firm with her if he was going to get some real answers.

“I have a bad feeling about this year,” she didn’t give any time for Albus to interrupt before diving into her reasoning. “In Divination yesterday, we were reading tea leaves and nearly everyone had something bad. Mine showed an hourglass which means imminent danger and Avery’s had a cross and Jack’s had a snake and these all mean very bad things, Albus.”

For the first time in his life, Albus could hear the fear in her voice. Lily wasn’t scared of anything. Lily jumped from his broom to James’ without any magical help and had been doing so from the age of four. Lily would get the bugs out of Albus’ room when he was too afraid to. Lily would step in front of moving bullet with courage if it meant saving someone she loved. Lily was fearless. Albus hated the realisation that maybe she wasn’t so fearless after all.

“You know Aunt Hermione would scold you for believing in Divination, right?” Albus played it off as a joke, mainly because he had no other way to play it off. Lily huffed, shoving her book back into her bag and flinging her long hair over her shoulder. It nearly whacked Albus in the face in the process.

“I know, but it’s not just that. I just have a bad feeling. Just promise me that you and Scorpius will be careful this year?”

“I promise, Lily,” he said sincerely. With that, Lily was gone, her long her flowing behind her in sync with her Gryffindor robes.

Albus had never considered the possibility of his siblings suffering because of his own stupid actions the previous year. He had assumed that they didn’t really care. He was proven wrong when Lily hugged both him and Scorpius and cried into his shoulder about how much she was worried. Albus always thought that his family were isolating him, but it turns out he was isolating himself, too. From that moment on, he vowed to be a better sibling and cousin and had since learnt the benefits of being on good terms with his family. The truth was, he missed them, too.

The morning passed in a blur. Albus hated classes when Scorpius wasn’t there, they felt longer, more tedious, and the constant pit of anxiety in his stomach never faded. When they were together, people never bothered them as much, and if they did it was usually only verbal insults. However, alone they were subject to much more physical conflicts.

It happened more so in their first, second and third years. It wasn’t uncommon that one of them would return to the dorms with a broken nose or a busted lip. They had learnt simple healing spells very young because that many trips to the hospital wing would seem too suspicious. Everyone knew they were bullied, even the teachers, but no one knew the extent to which they were bullied.

Albus only made a quick stop at the Great Hall, picking up food for lunch for both him and Scorpius before rushing to the Slytherin dorms to check on his friend. As he entered, he half-expected Scorpius to be asleep. He was so incredibly tired this morning.

A small wave of panic coursed through him when he entered to find Scorpius’ bed empty, until a crashing sound came from Albus’ bed. He quickly glanced over, to find his curtains closed.

“Scor?” Albus asked, quickly making his way over to his bed, dropping his bag on the floor. Cautiously, Albus peeled back the curtains to reveal Scorpius, his hair dishevelled like he’d been running his hands through it constantly. His eyes were still tired, but they looked significantly brighter than they had earlier that morning.

Scorpius looked at him, a wide grin on overtaking his features when he realised it was Albus who was his intruder. Albus stared at the scene a moment, confused as to what was occurring. The small space was dark, the only light coming from a small light orb above Scorpius’ head, the faint blue hue illuminating his delicate features. Scorpius’ sat crossed legged, a whole range of items from books, to quills, to sweets discarded messily in front of him. Scorpius’ wand was behind him, wedged somehow in the intricate carvings of Albus’ bedpost.

“Albus, look! Sit down,” Scorpius said, excitement lacing his tone as he grabbed Albus’ elbow and pulled him gently down on the bed. Albus obliged, putting their tubs of food down before climbing in himself. He was careful of Scorpius’ set up and sat with his discarded items between them, mirroring Scorpius’ position himself.

“What’s going on? Did you sleep? You okay?”

“I’m great! So, I made a discovery,” of course he did. Scorpius was brilliant. Albus assumed it was to do with Scorpius’ current dilemma. It was only a matter of time before he figured it out himself. “I realised that the reason my magic was out of control was because my emotions were out of control. So, I went to the library-”

“Wait, when?”

“Today. What time is it?”

“Midday.”

“Oh, feels like I’ve been at this for hours. Anyway, I slept for an hour and then sat in a huff before making this discovery and went to the library. I found this book.” Scorpius picked up the book that was in the centre of his messy laid out items. “It’s a book on therapy techniques to help control emotions, so I’ve been using some of the techniques to help me control magic. There’s like counting techniques, breathing techniques and loads of other ones, I found counting works best because it works well with how my mind works, but I’m still experimenting-"

“Scor? You’re rambling,” Albus reminded him before Scorpius could get lost in his explanations of his experiments.

“Right, sorry. Watch this!” He beamed at Albus.

Scorpius put the book down and arranged the items in a neater formation. He waved his hands at Albus, wiggling his fingers emphasising his lack of wand. Albus hadn’t forgotten where Scorpius’ wand had ended up. Then, the grin dropped from his face and was replaced by pouting lips, his teeth hooking over his bottom lip in concentration. Albus fought the urge to run his thumb over his lips to unhook his teeth, knowing that if given the opportunity, Scorpius would chew until he bled.

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he did. Albus watched him intently, holding his own breath. When Scorpius opened his eyes, they were firmly on the discarded items. Then, slowly but surely, the quill shook slightly before being lifted gently into the air. Albus looked at either of Scorpius’ hands to make sure he hadn’t picked up his wand. It also didn’t go unnoticed to Albus that Scorpius hadn’t said the incantation either.

As Albus was distracted, the second item joined the quill at Albus’ eye level. The bag of Pepper Imps hovered much more smoothly than the quill. Then, Scorpius raised the book. This one was much more unsteady due to its weight. Behind the three items, Albus saw Scorpius beam and look back at him. His eyes twinkled under the dim light of the floating orb. Scorpius’ eyes were flicking frantically along Albus’ face, his lips moving slightly as he murmured under his breath.

“What're you doing?” Albus asked. Scorpius’ eyes flicked to Albus’ before back at his cheeks.

“Counting your freckles,” he replied. However, his momentary distraction backfired.

Between them, the floating quill burst into orange flames. Scorpius flinched, swearing under his breath. The other two items dropped to the bed and Scorpius leaned around the flaming quill to search for Albus’ wand in his robes. He’d clearly forgotten where he put his own. He pulled Albus’ wand out and doused the quill in water, then dried the bed where the water had soaked it, the quill dropping to his bed.

Scorpius sighed. “Okay, so I haven’t perfected it,” he sheepishly, dropping his head. Albus’ heart dropped at the sound of Scorpius’ shame. Albus moved the items out the way and placed himself in Scorpius’ lap, wrapping his legs around his waist. He lifted Scorpius’ chin up so grey eyes met green.

“Perfecting it will take more time than two hours. What you’ve achieved so far is incredible,” Albus’ voice was so gentle that he had a hard time comprehending that it was his own voice.

“Really?” Sometimes, Scorpius was too insecure for his own good.

“Really.”

Albus tilted Scorpius’ head further up and gently connected their lips. He kept the kiss light and gentle, knowing that was how Scorpius preferred them. Usually, Albus was happy to get so lost in a fierce kiss and Scorpius would follow, but now he felt that Scorpius needed to initiate that rather than him. Sure enough, he did. After a few moments of the gentle brushing of lips, Scorpius smiled into Albus before teasingly biting Albus’ bottom lip. He gently pulled at his lip with his teeth until it was released and leaned back in with force, using his lips to apologise for biting him. Albus didn’t care, he let himself melt into Scorpius’ fierce kiss, losing his hands to Scorpius’ soft blond hair.

Scorpius gently leaned back into a lying position, pulling Albus with him. They were both careful to make sure they never broke their kiss. Albus adjusted his position so he was straddling Scorpius, his knees either side of his hips. Scorpius’ wandering hands found their way underneath Albus’ robes and school shirt which he had to untuck from his trousers. His warm hands caressed across his waist and back and Albus’ own hands pulled gently at Scorpius’ hair.

Scorpius let out a gasp and a giggle when Albus broke their kiss in favour of kissing his neck, nibbling a small piece of skin between his teeth. After a few pleasing moans escaping from Scorpius’ mouth, Albus stopped his biting to return his lips to Scorpius’.

On his back, Scorpius’ hands started burning up, becoming increasingly warmer than they had been before.

“Scor,” Albus whispered against his lips. His hands weren’t too hot at the moment, so Albus didn’t want to embarrass him. To Albus, it was clear that Scorpius’ arousal was causing his magic to go awry.

“Hmm,” he hummed against his lips, eyes closed and lips brushing against Albus’ again.

“You’re burning up.” Scorpius opened his eyes, confusing clouding his expression before the realisation hit him.

“Oh shit,” Scorpius pulled his hands away, getting tangled slightly in Albus’ clothing. He sat up dramatically, colliding his forehead with Albus’.

“Ow,” Albus mumbled, now sitting up and rubbing his forehead with his hand.

“Albus, I am so sorry,” Scorpius said, rubbing his own forehead. Albus took one look at his flustered, embarrassed boyfriend and couldn’t help but burst out into laughter. Initially, Scorpius looked wounded, but eventually settled into soft chuckles himself the longer Albus’ laughter went on. He shoved Albus’ shoulder playfully. “Stop laughing at me,” he huffed, but Albus could hear the laughter in his voice.

“I’m… sorry… really,” Albus gasped through giggles. Scorpius shoved him again.

“Albus!”

“Okay,” he forced his face straight, stifling the last of his giggles and looked seriously at Scorpius. “I’m sorry,” he spoke, trying his best to sound serious. Scorpius pouted at him and Albus beamed, pecking his pouted lips.

“Did I hurt you?” He sounded incredibly wounded again, Albus felt his heart constrict.

“No, honey. I was just warning you. The headbutt hurt a little though, but I think you got the brunt of that as well,” Albus spoke, rubbing his thumb gently over the bruise already forming on Scorpius’ forehead. His fair skin meant he bruised like a peach. It was very, very rare to not see Scorpius sporting a new bruise somewhere on his body every week.

“I’m sorry,” he apologised again, rubbing his thumb over Albus’ forehead, though Albus didn’t bruise as easily so the odds are it wouldn’t show up. Besides Albus could also hide it with his fringe if need be, however Scorpius tended to wear his hair pushed back into a quiff unless it fell in front of his face, which he would then frustratingly push away. It was incredibly endearing to watch.

“Stop apologising,” Albus whispered, placing a finger on his lips. Scorpius smiled against him. “With time, you’ll get it under control. Just try not to get frustrated with yourself, okay? You said so yourself that heightened emotions make it worse,” Albus reasoned.

“Okay, okay,” he nodded, leaning against Albus and burying his head in his neck. It was such a vulnerable gesture that Albus felt his heart break for him. He couldn’t imagine how he was feeling, Albus would hate it. But, the fact that Scorpius had so much magic inside him that he was struggling to control it meant that Scorpius was much more powerful than anyone anticipated him to be.

There were a few rumours about his potential power when Scorpius was born, because the belief was that he was the son of Voldemort. It was evident from a kid that Scorpius would have a lot of potential, but it hadn’t been discussed since the reveal of Delphi. However, Albus always knew Scorpius had great potential, and he was both nervous and excited for the world to see him. If anyone could prove that not all power was used for evil, it was Scorpius.

Albus just hoped that Scorpius was prepared for the rumours, lies and propaganda that would be spread about him. Albus and Scorpius knew more than anyone how cruel the world can be.

 

* * *

 

 

“Why are we here again?” Albus asked for the fourth time as Scorpius dragged him to the empty classroom where the Duelling Club was being held.

“Because I want to learn how to Duel,” Scorpius replied with the same answer he had the other four times. Albus rolled his eyes.

“Why are we really?” Scorpius glanced at him and dropped his arm from his elbow when they entered the classroom. Not many other students had arrived yet and Neville Longbottom – Albus’ godfather – was standing atop the duelling stage waiting for the students to arrive. He gave Albus a quick smile and wave to which he happily returned.

“Because…” Scorpius trailed off. Albus eyed him suspiciously and pulled him off to one side away from wondering ears.

“Spill.”

“Because I’m tired of feeling weak,” he admitted, looking down at the floor and scuffing his shoes together.

“Weak? Scor, didn’t you just see what you did at lunch? How is that weak?”

“No, okay. I know what I’m capable of, Albus. Trust me, I know more than anyone,” the way he said it made Albus assume he was talking about something that Albus was unaware of. He made a mental note to ask him about it later. “I want to learn how to defend myself properly, because I can’t help but think that if I knew how to, then a lot of what happened last year would have turned out differently.”

“You know we can’t change the past?” It was the wrong thing to say judging by Scorpius’ huff of indignation.

“I’m not an idiot, Albus.”

“I know that-”

“Albus! Scorpius!” Albus was cut off by Lily running over to him, her hair now pulled back into a ponytail. “I didn’t know you guys were coming.”

Albus flashed her a smile and Scorpius rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. He was kind of thankful that Lily had interrupted their almost-argument. He and Scorpius never argued, ever. He didn’t know exactly what he did that got Scorpius riled up, but Albus knew this conversation was not finished. He brushed it off for the time being, as did Scorpius judging by the smile he sent Albus. Albus raised his eyebrows: _are we okay?_ Scorpius nodded and Albus let his heart relax a moment.

“Trying something new,” Scorpius replied, a bit too late but Lily was just happy they were there.

“You’ll love it! I love it, anyway and you’re a lot like me so you’ll love it, too.” Lily squeezed Scorpius’ shoulder, a faraway smile on her face. Albus’ stomach clenched at the sight. It felt a little too much like flirting. Suddenly, Lily’s worry about Scorpius earlier made complete sense. He could see why she would have a crush on him, he was – undeniably – hot, and she was completely unaware he was in a relationship with her brother. To her, he was fresh meat.

Scorpius himself seemed oblivious to her flirting, even when she batted her eyelashes and laughed at something Scorpius said that was not funny in the slightest. Albus’ stomach churned with jealousy at watching them interact. He knew Scorpius didn’t even see it as flirting – Scorpius was about as good at picking up on social cues as a pig was at flying – but that didn’t stop Albus feeling insecure.

Out of protectiveness – but also trying to keep their secret a secret – Albus grabbed Scorpius’ elbow, pulling him slightly towards him, effectively causing Lilys’ hand to drop from his shoulder. He hadn’t been listening to the conversation so struggled to come up with an excuse for his behaviour. Luckily, he didn’t have to as another familiar face walked over to them.

“Cassie,” Scorpius beamed, thankful for the change in conversation too.

“Hey,” she greeted, a gleam on her face mirroring Scorpius’.

“You know the school magazine is covering this session, getting gossip for their schools club section,” Cassie rolled her eyes, her gaze flicking over to a boy and a girl sitting in the corner with a parchment and quill.

Albus recognised them instantly as the Creevey twins. Lara and Milo Creevey were in the year above Scorpius and Albus. Lara founded the school magazine in her third year and had since run it. Her twin brother Milo joined the paper a year later. They mostly ran it together as soloists, but over the three years they have accumulated other students with desires to be a journalist. Albus hated _Hog Gossip!_ simply because it mostly printed about his family, many of which were lies. Lily had come crying to him her second year (after the events of the time-turner) sobbing her heart out when Lara reported that she was fifth on the what’s hot list, claiming her spot so low because of her ‘annoying personality’. Albus had half a mind to hex her for hurting his sister, but Lily got to it first a week later and Lara spent three days in the hospital wing recovering from their mothers’ famous bat-bogey hex.

Lily scoffed when her eyes landed on Lara. Lara rolled her eyes back when she looked up and saw the small group staring at her. Scorpius coughed awkwardly and looked away, but Cassie and Lily kept their gaze on them.

“Okay, let’s get started shall we? It’s the first session of the year and there are a few new faces, so what we’ll do is get a feel for where everyone’s at. If you’ve all signed the sign-up sheet, I’ll pick names at random and two of you will duel it out on the podium,” Neville announced. There was murmured agreement from the crowd and Neville smiled. He picked up the sign-up sheet and read out two names Albus had never heard of before. The two – a boy with black hair and a wiry physique and a girl with curling brown hair down to her waist – stepped up onto the duelling stage.

Albus didn’t really watch the match, he watched Scorpius instead. The other boy was sat next to him, legs crossed awkwardly in his chair. He was fiddling with his hands, wringing them together so hard they were starting to go red and chewing his bottom lip and inner cheek notoriously. When he winced slightly, Albus knew he’s bit down too hard and his mouth would start to fill with blood. His eyes flickered nervously from the current duel to Lara and Milo. He clapped slowly along with the crowd when the girl got the upper hand and won the duel.

There were a few other couples that went before Albus’ own name was called alongside Lilys’. Lily smirked mischievously at him from her spot beside Scorpius before prancing to her feet and strutting towards the stage. Scorpius patted his thigh in encouragement, his previous nervousness fading into joy. Albus smiled at him nervously before rising from his seat and taking to the stage, standing opposite his sister.

“You’re going down, Al,” she said. Albus would have felt more nervous, but he and Lily had duelled before – only for fun. Lily was much better at magic than him, but usually exerted herself too quickly, which meant that if Albus could block her for long enough, then he should be able to get the upper hand.

Neville gave them the get go and they bowed. Almost too quickly, Lily shot an attack spell his way, but Albus saw it coming and raised his shield. She pouted at him as the spell bounced of his shield and at the wall beside them. She did exactly what Albus predicted. Albus kept his shield up for as long as possible, shooting some spells her way but they were nothing to the force she was attacking his shield. After a few vicious shots, Albus could feel her magic growing weaker. He grinned to himself. When one of her shots finally broke his shield, Albus took advantage of the second it took her to regain herself. He raised his wand and muttered an _Expillarmus_ ripping her wand from her grip and into Albus’ hand.

“NO!” She screamed, stomping her foot in a huff. It was times like this that Albus was reminded that she was only thirteen.

“Tough luck, sis,” he teased, going over to give return her wand and hug her with one arm. She leaned into him, her love for her brother overpowering her annoyance at him. They walked back over to where Cassie and Scorpius were sat, taking a brief glance at Lara and Milo who were both furiously taking notes on the duel.

Scorpius beamed at him when Albus came into his eye line, breaking whatever conversation he’d been having with Cassie to give him his complete attention.

“That was incredible, Albus,” he beamed, reaching out to grab Albus’ hand but quickly stopping himself. Scorpius’ smile faded slightly and Albus didn’t let himself read into it too much. Instead, he sat down next to him and playfully nudged his shoulder.

“Thanks, Scor,” he replied. Scorpius had recovered from whatever had faltered his smile and beamed at him again.

The duels continued and as they were coming to the end of the session, Scorpius’ nerves had somehow returned at full volume. Albus made sure no one was looking when he reached over brushed his fingers over his lips, a silent action telling him to stop his chewing. Scorpius obeyed, looking slightly guilty.

“We have time for one more duel so…” Neville studied the sign-up sheet, scanning over the names. “Molly Haywood and Scorpius Malfoy.” Next to him, Scorpius sucked in a breath and held it. Albus patted him on the knee like he had done before and Scorpius stood, sending a nervous smile his way.

Scorpius pulled his wand from his robes as he made his way over to the duelling stage, twirling it precariously in his figures. It was an elegant gesture, his wand spinning in and out of his nimble fingers. Albus watched as Scorpius shook his shoulders, the physical gesture somehow shaking his nerves as well. He came to a stop opposite Molly – a small girl with short blonde hair, the ends tinted in candyfloss pink. They exchanged a few words, whatever Scorpius said making Molly giggle.

Albus always forgot how easily charming Scorpius was. He was usually so nervous around new people that he didn’t speak, but when he did he pulled people easily into conversation.

Neville gave them the get go and they bowed before taking up their positions. Scorpius waited for Molly to make the first move and for a moment neither of them moved. Molly eventually attacked, impatient of Scorpius’ tactics. He smoothly deflected the spell with a swift non-verbal action, not allowing himself to smirk at how easy it was. Molly wasted no time with another three attack spells one after another. However, her inability to cast non-verbal spells took away her surprise, and Scorpius easily deflected them without so much as a step back.

Molly let out a huff of indignation. Scorpius decided to stop playing games and attack back, his non-verbal spells coming at more of a surprise, but Molly is fast and casts the shield spell shortly after the first of Scorpius’ spells hits her and she falls to the ground. It’s an impressive save and even Scorpius looks shocked, but he quickly recovers.

However, in his moment of shock, Molly had enough time to drop her shield and send a spell Scorpius’ way, causing his wand to fly across the room. She shouted another spell, and Scorpius’ arms flew in front of his face to defend himself.

The class let out a startled gasp.

The spell never hit him, because Scorpius had wandlessly formed a shield around him. A shimmer of a blue transparent shield covered the whole of Scorpius’ body, encircling around him. Albus smiled proudly. It was no secret that Scorpius was good a magic, but nobody knew exactly _how_ good he was. Not even Scorpius, but Albus always had faith.

It took Scorpius a moment to realise the spell never hit him. He cautiously removed his hands from his face, the look of shock evident on his face. Molly stood in equal shock, as did Neville.

“How did he…?” Lily started, but faded off, unable to finish her sentence.

It seemed Scorpius recovered from his shock before most people in the room. He took a deep breath, moving his arms protectively in front of his chest and pushed them out. The shield was pushed with invisible force straight towards Molly. In the travelling distance, the shield shrunk into an orb of shimmering blue light. It hit Molly before she had a chance to comprehend what was happening. The orb hit her in the chest, sending her flying backwards, her wand dropping from her grasp.

“Accio,” Scorpius spoke, his hand outstretched towards her wand which came flying in his hand. He summoned his own wand back and stood his ground. When Neville called that Scorpius had won, only then did he let his confident stance drop and run over to Molly. She wasn’t wounded badly, apart from maybe her pride.

Albus watched as Scorpius knelt down next to her, quietly asking if she was okay. She nodded then laughed at something he said. He returned her wand and helped her stand, once again asking if she was okay. Only when she had convinced him that she was, in fact, fine did he relent. They shook hands and shared a smile. He heard Molly threaten something along to lines of: “I’ll get you next time, Malfoy,” and Scorpius laughed and responded with something just as witty that made her laugh.

Scorpius made his way back over, a small victorious smile on his lips. Lily jumped up excitedly and embraced him in a hug. It took Scorpius a moment to recover from the shock before returning the hug.

“That was wicked, Scorpius,” Cassie complimented when Lily _finally_ pulled away. “I didn’t know you could do that.”

“Neither did I,” he half-joked, and everyone laughed, but Albus knew that Scorpius really did not know he could do that.

“Okay guys, well done! I’m going to put together a list of observations, improvements and general tips ready for next week. I’ll see you all then.” Neville waved them all off and everyone began gathering their things, chatting excitedly about the final duel. “Scorpius, could I talk to you for a second?” Neville added as an afterthought. Scorpius nodded, sharing a worried glance with Albus.

Lily and Cassie said their goodbyes and left with the rest of the club. Albus stayed with Scorpius, who grabbed his elbow and pulled him along over to Neville.

“Professor?” Scorpius asked, his voice timid and eyes wide. “You wanted to see me?”

“Yes.” Neville flicked a glance between Scorpius and Albus before settling his eyes on Scorpius. “What was that and how did you do it?” Neville’s lips upturned slightly, but he forced down his joy.

Scorpius shrugged. “Honestly, Professor, I can’t answer either of those questions because I don’t know. It just happened.”

“Just happened? Mr. Malfoy, magic doesn’t just happen like that,” Neville was perplexed.

“It does when you ask it to.”

“Ask?”

“Yeah, Molly was sending that spell towards me, so I protected myself, it listened to what I wanted and did it.” It seemed like an innocent enough explanation, but Neville was still confused.

“Without a wand?” He asked, confusion still laced in his tone. Albus knew Headmistress McGonagall would hear about this soon, something that Scorpius never wanted.

“You know as well as I do that wands don’t produce magic, sir, only helps control it.” Coming from anyone else, it would have sounded like a snarky comment, but coming from Scorpius made it seem innocent.

“Fair enough. And are you?” Scorpius pulled a confused face at Albus’ godfather. “In control?” He added.

“Yeah,” Scorpius lied easily. Neville seemed satisfied.

“Okay, on your way boys, it’s getting close to curfew.” With that, the two boys turned and headed for the dungeons.

Despite curfew creeping up, their dorm room was still empty. Both boys readied themselves for bed before settling in Albus’, crossed legged across from each other with a game of wizards chess between them. Scorpius was the only person who could ever beat Albus. They were even in skill and it often came very close.

“Why did you lie to Neville about being in control?” Albus asked as he made another move.

“Because I’m working on it,” he replied, contemplating his next move. Albus sensed a slight bite to Scorpius’ tone, before remembering their almost-argument earlier on. He didn’t want to talk about it, but figured it was a necessity if they were going to look past it. Albus sighed when Scorpius made his next move. Scorpius looked at him perplexed, grey eyes glistening below the orb of light he’d conjured for them.

“I don’t think you’re an idiot,” Albus started. For a second, Scorpius’ face contorted into confusion before realisation dawned on him. “I think you’re brilliant, you know that. I didn’t mean anything by it-”

“Albus,” Scorpius cut him off. “It’s fine, honestly. I know you didn’t mean anything. I’m sorry, it’s me. I’ve been on a bit of a short fuse recently,” he admitted sheepishly.

“Why’s that?”

“It’s been a year,” his voice was low and quiet, so quiet that Albus barely heard him. “A year ago we jumped off the train and started a shit tonne of events that we weren’t ready for. I think the anniversary is just a bit triggering, put together with my current magical struggles. It’s a bit much right now, but I’ll be okay,” he promised.

Albus’ heart broke. In all honesty, he hadn’t even realised that it had been a whole year since their awful adventure started. He immediately felt guilty for brushing off Scorpius’ worries. He should have known. He should have known why Scorpius’ anxiety had increased the past couple of days. He should have known that this would obviously be the cause of his worries and possibly the reason why his emotions were so high-strung causing his magic to go awry.

“Shit, Scorpius. I’m sorry, I should have known, I should have been more sympathetic. I’m such an ass.”

“Why? It’s not your fault I can’t get my shit together,” he said self-deprecatingly.

“But it’s my fault all this started in the first place.”

“Albus, we’ve been over this. It’s not your fault. We both made that decision-”

“Because of me-”

“Stop it.” Scorpius’ tone was thick and firm. It made Albus abruptly stop talking. “It’s not your fault, Albie,” he spoke, bringing his hands up to Albus’ cheek and holding him firmly. Albus felt his heart melt at Scorpius’ beloved nickname for him.

“Okay,” he relented. Scorpius stroked his cheek and leaned him to kiss him gently. Albus felt his heart full of love and content, happy that Scorpius was his and only his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Adorable drawing of proud Scorpius learning to control his magic done by: https://secretlydreamingofgansey.tumblr.com/
> 
> Hope you're all enjoying this so far! Let me know :)


	4. Lay Your Weary Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An article in Hog Gossip! creates tension and Scorpius loses control.

Dark clouds had formed around Hogwarts, threatening a vicious rainstorm. The overcast faded the Great Hall into a bitter darkness, the enchanted candle lights doing little to lighten up the room. It had been like this for three days and the dank weather was starting to take a toll on the teachers and students.

It was September and usually the school would have at least another two weeks of the summer sun, but the clouds appeared the be sticking around. Scorpius almost wished the storm would come and go if only to clear the air of the muggy stank. It was still strangely warm, the humidity making the halls of the castle feel stuffy. Even the Slytherin dorms felt warmer than usual. It didn’t make sense, really. The lack of sunlight should have faded the school into a chill, but the heat remained despite the black covering the school.

Scorpius sighed into his tea, glancing up to the threatening rain clouds. He had woken well before Albus and usually would wait for him, but Scorpius was in desperate need of a warm drink to wake him up. His eyes danced lazily over his open potions textbook, but Scorpius wasn’t focusing much on the words. Not that it mattered, he had read it three times already.

“That’s him,” he heard a whisper not far from him. He looked up to see a couple of Ravenclaw girls staring at him, speaking in hushed tones.

“Should have expected it from Voldemort’s son,” another spoke, purposely louder now they knew Scorpius was listening. A wave of dread washed over him, drowning his heart. Scorpius had no idea what he’d done this time, but it must have been bad if  _that_  rumour was being brought up again. He looked back at his textbook, forcing down the magic swirling through his blood, threatening to spill like the clouds above.

It had only been a just over a week since his discovery, but Scorpius had already become in better control of his magic. Professor McGonagall had approached him and arranged a meeting with him this weekend to assess his current magical controllability and Scorpius was starting to feel much better about it. She had offered to tutor him should he not be in complete control, which he was thankful for.

Someone slapping a paper down on the table in front of him caught Scorpius’ attention. It was a copy of this weeks _Hog Gossip!_ which comes out every Friday. It was the first edition of the year, a week late because there was never much to report on the first week of school. Written on the front was the headline in big bold letters:

_**Scorpius Malfoy: As Powerful as his Father, Lord Voldemort?** _

Scorpius gulped and looked up to see Albus had settled on the bench opposite him.

“It’s complete bullshit, Scor. I swear if I see Milo Creevey anywhere I will hex him into next week. How dare he write this shit about you.” Albus was fuming, a red tint across his nose and cheeks stretching all the way to his ears.

“They could have come up with a better headline,” Scorpius joked for lack of something better to say. Albus didn’t laugh along with him, instead his wild eyes were searching the Great Hall for Milo or Lara, though Scorpius guessed it was Milo who wrote the article. He had never particularly liked Scorpius, but then again, no one did. Taking a deep breath, Scorpius picked up the magazine and turned it to the correct page and scanned over the article.

_**Scorpius Malfoy: As Powerful as his Father, Lord Voldemort?** _

_**By: Milo Creevey** _

_Some of you may know Scorpius Malfoy, others may not. So, I’ll give you a brief overview. Scorpius Malfoy is a fifth year Slytherin (in the snake pit where he belongs, am I right?) and the alleged son of Astoria Malfoy (nee Greengrass) and Draco Malfoy. However, it is firmly believed that Scorpius is actually the bastard son of the late Lord Voldemort, his mother using a time-turner to go back to before Voldemort’s death to get pregnant and returning to current time. We don’t know the extent of truth to this rumour, but we have discovered something in support of this rumour._

_The Duelling Club’s first session was held on Tuesday night last week and I was particularly surprised to see Scorpius and his best friend Albus Potter (yes, that’s right, Harry Potters’ Slytherin son. The saviour of our wizarding worlds son hanging out with the potential son of the very man that destroyed the world. We have to wonder if Scorpius has some ulterior motive there?). The two had never attended any other clubs before but there’s always a first time for everything. So, you can imagine my surprise. However, both boys have never had a particularly good reputation when it comes to magic: Albus earned the title ‘Slytherin Squib’ in his first year – a nickname that seemed to stick despite his magical evolution – and Scorpius was average._

_So, when Scorpius stepped up to the podium, no one was expecting anything too significant. We were incredibly wrong. It was normal, a few attack and defence spells thrown, but the real magic (and I mean this literally) happened when Molly Haywood – a petite fourth-year Hufflepuff – won the upper hand and knocked Scorpius’ wand from his hand. We all thought that the small girl had won when another attack spell left her mouth and Scorpius was left unarmed._

_That was until the spell hit off a particularly brilliant (if I say so myself) Protego spell and bounced against the wall. You could hear all the audible gasps in the room as people comprehended what had happened. Scorpius had cast the shield spell WITHOUT a wand and at a better ability than I’ve seen most teachers. The shield surrounded his entire body, trapping him in a ball. Even Professor Longbottom was in shock._

_If that wasn’t surprising enough, Scorpius then did something even I have difficulty describing (and some say I’m like a God with words). He pushed (for want of a better adjective) the shield towards Molly, and during it’s travels, it shrunk into a small orb that knocked into her chest. Now, surely Scorpius knew that this spell wouldn’t be harmful, because if he didn’t then surely he wouldn’t experiment with this young Hufflepuffs life? Molly, thankfully, was unharmed by this. It merely knocked her to the floor. By the time she recovered, Scorpius had summoned both her wand and his own and had been claimed victor._

_Now, what does all this prove? Let me shed some insight. Who was the most powerful dark wizard in history, known for his reign in Slytherin house? That’s right, Lord Voldemort. Who is the rumoured father of Scorpius Malfoy? Ding, ding, ding, you’ve got it again: Lord Voldemort._

_I personally don’t think this is a coincidence. Scorpius’ magical ability has soared since his and Albus’ run through time last year. For those of you who don’t know: Scorpius and Albus stole a Ministry Time Turner to go back in time to meet Scorpius’ so-called father. Is it a coincidence that Scorpius met the infamous Lord Voldemort and returned with much better control over his power? Of course not._

_This leaves the lingering question: will Scorpius use his power for good or evil?_

_The son of Voldemort in Slytherin house? You can guess where my bets are placed._

_That’s enough from me, I hope to keep you all updated with this story. Peace out._

“Not a word about Delphi in here,” was the first and only thing Scorpius could think to say. His magic grew with every word he read, but he was forcing it down with just as much rigour.

“I know, but let’s not skip over all that shit. Scorpius, it’s ridiculous!” Albus exclaimed, clearly shocked by Scorpius’ calm façade. It was just a façade, Scorpius was fuming, but he was just trying his best to control his emotions in order to control his magic.

“I know,” he squeaked, staring at Albus to count the freckles on his cheeks. Scorpius’ leg started shaking beneath the table, his magic itching to be released. He thought he was getting it under control but took one look at the magazine and he felt his magic rise to the surface. “I need to go,” he said, jumping up from the table. Albus stood with him.

“You okay? Where do you want to go?” Scorpius started walking fast out the Great Hall, Albus hot his heels. His path was cut off and Scorpius was forced to come to a sudden stop, Albus running into him.

“Did you like my article, Voldy J?” Milo Creevey asked, a wicked grin on his face. Sometimes, Scorpius wondered how the Creevey twins made it into Ravenclaw because all he saw were Slytherin’s. Albus stepped in front of him, and maybe Scorpius shouldn’t have done it, but he grabbed Albus’ hand if only to stop the anxiety in his stomach.

“You know that article is bullshit, Creevey,” Albus spat. Scorpius had never heard so much venom in Albus’ voice before.

“Is it bullshit, though, Potter?”

 _Destroy him,_ his magic called, tingling at the tips of his fingers. It was pulsing through his blood at a rapid rate, his heartbeat matching the pulse. Every ounce of him felt alive, buzzing with electricity. His body shook with anticipation and trepidation, fingers wiggling in desperate attempts to perform for his audience. Scorpius tried his best to force the lump down that was forming in his throat, tried his best to calm the whizzing thoughts that were igniting his magic. But standing there in front of the boy who caused his emotional distraught in the first place proved difficult.

“Albus,” Scorpius squeaked, desperate for the boys attention to remind him why they were fleeing in the first place.

“You know it’s bullshit. Everyone knows that Scorpius isn’t Voldemort’s son, so why you do insist on feeding the rumour mill?”

“Albus,” Scorpius said again, trying his best to keep his voice even. Milo looked at him, then down at their conjoined hands and an even bigger smirk formed on his face.

“I think your boyfriend wants your attention,” Milo mocked.

Albus dropped Scorpius’ hand.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” he said it with so much force and rigour, that even Scorpius almost believed it. His heart weighed a thousand tonnes, being dragged down with those four words. He didn’t mean it literally, he was protecting their secret, but Scorpius wished they didn’t have a secret anymore. He wanted to show the world that Albus was his. He knew they would get bullied, but they got bullied anyway. At least this time they’d be bullied about something that was _true._

Scorpius didn’t have it in him to say anything, so he just walked past Albus and Milo and out the Great Hall at a quick pace. His heart was pounding, his magic pulsing. He wanted to scream. He wanted to cry. He wanted to explode. He wanted to disappear.

“Scorpius?” It was Albus’ voice that had followed him into the entrance hall. He sounded angry, his name spoken with venom. Scorpius stopped and turned to face him, barely being able to keep his breathing at a normal rate. He knew what was happening, he’d had panic attacks many times before. He just needed to calm down, to relax his breathing, to do something. Count.

Scorpius looked behind Albus, counting the individual fingers on all the statues in the entrance hall.

_One, two, three, four, five._

_No, that’s a thumb, Scorpius._

_Four, five, six, seven, eight, another thumb, nine, ten, eleven._

_Does that statue only have three fingers?_

_Twelve, thirteen._

“Why did you do that?” Albus’ harsh voice snapped him from his thoughts, but Scorpius already felt calmer. His heart rate had lessened, his breathing steadier. The magic didn’t feel at the brink of his skin, the fire and tingling sensation dissipating.

“Wh- what?” He stuttered, finally finding it in him to look at Albus. His eyes were alight with fire, hands curled into fists at his side. Scorpius rubbed the nape of his neck, shuffling uncomfortably on his feet.

“Why would you hold my hand?” That’s what he was angry about?

“Am I not allowed to hold my boyfriends hand?” He spat the word ‘boyfriend’ with as much venom as he could muster, but that wasn’t much. Scorpius wasn’t an angry person. Anger scared him. Anger fuelled fires and froze oceans. Anger was uncontrollable, unpredictable. He hated feeling anger because anger meant showing the world a part of Scorpius he longed to keep hidden. Anger meant showing everyone what he was truly capable of.

Scorpius hated anger.

“Not in public, Scor. I thought we had a deal?” He sounded slightly softer now, but Scorpius was just getting fuelled up.

“I don’t want that deal anymore,” Scorpius had to admit. Hiding it from Albus would do no good.

“Well, I do.”

“Why? Are you ashamed of me?” It was a question that Scorpius was terrified of asking. It was a question he had wanted answered for a long time.

“What, Scor, n-”

“Ashamed of loving a Malfoy? Or ashamed of being associated with Voldemort’s son?”

“It’s not like that.”

“People call us boyfriends all the time and you don’t normally deny it. You just ignore it,” Scorpius felt deflated. He really didn’t want to argue anymore but felt like it would only escalate. He hated arguing with Albus. Albus was all he had, fighting with him and losing him was never an option.

“You’re being ridiculous.”

“We’ve been together six months, Albus. Don’t you think we should tell people now?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

Albus was stuck for words. Scorpius could tell by the way he wrung the sleeves of his robes in his hands – a habit he’d picked up from Scorpius.

“Why not?” Scorpius repeated, louder this time.

“Because I want to keep you to myself for a little while longer,” he was starting to raise his voice again, clearly getting frustrated. “We promised we’d never push each other about this.” He was right. They did. Right when they got together and mutually agreed on the secret. Is that what Albus thought he was doing? Did he think Scorpius was pushing him?

“I know, I just-”

“You know, how insecure you are is so bloody exhausting sometimes.”

“Wha…?” Scorpius trailed off, unsure of how Albus had brought their argument to this conclusion.

“You need constant reassurance and sometimes it’s nice but Merlin most the time it’s fucking suffocating.” Tears were threatening to spill over Scorpius’ cheeks. His heart heavy in his chest. He didn’t understand exactly what happened, he just knew he wanted to wrap his arms around Albus and feel his heart beating against his.

Maybe he was too clingy. Maybe he did rely on Albus’ presence too much. But, Scorpius couldn’t live without him. Not again. And he thought Albus couldn’t live without him either but maybe he was wrong. Maybe Albus didn’t want him anymore. Maybe Albus would do what everyone would do: leave him. Nausea rose in his stomach at the very thought. A life without Albus was not a life worth living, Scorpius knew that much.

“Albus,” his voice was weak, barely audible over his screaming thoughts.

“I can’t right now,” if Albus wasn’t shouting, Scorpius thought he might have been just as hurt as he was.

His words reminded Scorpius of another conversation, one that took place almost a year ago. 

> _"I can't, okay?"_
> 
> _"Can't what?"_
> 
> _"Just - we'll be better of without each other, okay?"_

It wasn't okay. Not back then and not now. That conversation sent Scorpius into a spiral and his friend - the only person he ever wanted to be around - had caused it by speaking those words to him. It was the first time he ever truly felt alone. And Albus didn't care, or didn't seem to care. He went about his life, was happy to stand around in a foreign world and not fix what they'd royally fucked up. And Scorpius was drowning. Drowning in sorrow. He'd lost Albus and he didn't understand why and the only other person he wanted to talk to was his mum and that was impossible because no matter what alternate universe they were in she was still dead. She was always still dead. And Albus had his mum and dad and brother and sister and all Scorpius had was his dad. At the time it had been enough, but at the time he didn't love (or didn't realise he loved) Albus and now he wasn't sure he'd be able to survive without him.

Albus held his hands up in surrender, his face forming a sorrowful frown, and turned on his heels.

“Albus,” Scorpius called after him. “Don’t walk away from me please,” he screamed as loud as his hoarse voice would allow. Hot, wet tears escaped his eyes, streaming down his cheeks and choking him. “Albus!” He called again as the mop of black hair disappeared back into the Great Hall. “Please,” he could only whisper.

His legs gave way and Scorpius crashed to the floor, the stone flooring shattering against his knees. Sobs racked through his body. He was too preoccupied with the feeling of his heart breaking to register his magic escaping disastrously from his fingertips, smashing hundred-year-old statues and igniting anything flammable.

He was too preoccupied to register the screams of students around him coming and going from breakfast. All he could hear was his own fast beating heart. All he could feel was the fire on his fingertips. All he could see was the blur of his tears. All he could smell was smoke. All he could taste was the salt of his bitter tears.

He sat in a frenzy of fire and sobbed until he could sob no more. He let it all out, there in hallway of the castle without a second thought to the consequences. Instead he pulled himself into a ball and released the fire burning inside him. Released any and all anguish until he felt lighter. Through the blur of his tears he saw the orange flames surrounding him, but there was a shield protecting him from it. A barrier created by his own uncontrollable magic to protect him. When Scorpius stopped and the magic sunk backed into his veins, the fire stopped burning and smashed pieces returned to normal. Almost like he hadn't been there at all.

He barely registered pulling himself to his feet. He barely registered running through the halls of the castle. He barely registered climbing the stairs. He barely registered pacing back and forth. He barely registered collapsing to the floor in the Room of Requirement. He barely registered his exhaustion as his magic exploded from him, draining him of the last of his energy. He didn’t register any of this.

He was too numb.

 

* * *

 

Numb.

That was the only word Albus could use to describe how he felt.

He knew he shouldn’t have said any of those things. They weren’t true. Scorpius wasn’t suffocating in the slightest. If anything, it was he who was too clingy. But that was their relationship. They needed each other.

Albus hated himself for what he said.

The food in front of him made him lose his appetite the longer he stared at it. All he could hear was Scorpius’ pleading voice begging him not to walk away. And he kept walking. _For fuck sake, Albus, why did you keep walking?_ He could have stopped. He could have turned back and held him in his arms and said fuck the haters and just admit that he was in love with Scorpius Malfoy and he didn’t care what anyone thought.

But he did.

He cared because he knew people would hate it. He cared because people would hate Scorpius for it. The world hated their friendship; there would be a war if they found out they were in love. But it wouldn’t be Albus who would suffer, it would be Scorpius. And Merlin knows he’s not as strong as he pretends to be. Albus sees the way the bullies get to him, despite everything he says.

Immediately regretting his earlier actions, Albus pushed the plate of food away and made to stand when the school magazine was shoved in his face.

“Have you seen this?” Albus didn’t need to see the article to know which one Lily was referring to. In a way, it was the article that started the argument. Albus, once again, hated himself.

“I don’t want to read what they’ve said about Scorpius,” Albus grumbled, shoving the paper back into Lily’s hands.

“Not that, though yes that was awful. Where is he? Is he okay?” Albus forced away the prickling of tears behind his eyes and swallowed the lump in his throat, nodding at Lily’s question. He couldn’t find it in him to lie properly. “I meant this,” Lily said, clearly buying Albus’ lie.

Finally, Albus looked up from his shoes to Lily, who was holding the magazine open to a certain page that contained Hogwarts’ hottest couples. For a moment, Albus thought it might have been about he and Scorpius and cursed himself because that would mean the whole argument was pointless anyway. Thankfully, it wasn’t.

“James and Cassie are dating? Since when?” Albus asked, grabbing the paper and pulling it closer, making sure he wasn’t reading it wrong. Sure enough, there it was. Ranking second (no one would ever rank higher than Louis Weasley and Lorcan Scamander) was James Sirius Potter and Cassiopeia Kingsley.

“No idea, we’ve only been back at school two weeks. I personally think Cassie is too nice for James,” usually, Albus would have laughed.

“Definitely,” Albus half-heartedly agreed.

“What’s wrong?” Lily asked, following Albus as he walked out the Great Hall. He half expected Scorpius to be still in the entrance hall. His heart panged when he found that he was gone. His mind searched for places he’d been able to find him: The Astronomy Tower, the Room of Requirement, the Black Lake, the Dungeons. “Al?”

“I think me and Scorpius are over,” he said without much thought to the consequences.

“Over?” Lily squeaked. “When were you… under?” Again, if he had it in him, he would have laughed.

“I fucked up, Lily,” Albus choked on his words, his voice breaking. He turned to his sister and threw his arms around her. She hugged him back just as fiercely. Her arms were wrapped around him so tightly he barely had enough room for his body to shake through his sobs.

“Oh, Albus,” she sighed. “It’ll be okay, I promise.” They were just words people said when someone was hurting, but Albus found himself believing her.

“Al? Lily?” Albus ignored his brothers voice approaching them. He felt one of Lily’s hand cutting back and forth through the air and guessed it was a cut-throat gesture telling James not to ask any questions. James obliged and instead just wrapped his arms around his younger siblings.

There, in the middle of the Entrance Hall, the Potter siblings huddled together. Albus sobbed his poor little heart out. Lily whispered in his ear that everything will be okay. James helped hold Albus up with his hug and told him that they would always be there for him. They promised they would stay with him till he felt better. They all missed class that day.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drawing by: https://secretlydreamingofgansey.tumblr.com/ of Scorpius losing control.  
> Thank you! Comments and kudos give me life :)


	5. A World About To Burn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chaos reigns down on Hogwarts, but Albus is more worried about his boyfriend. Meanwhile, Scorpius encounters an old ghost from his past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally getting into some action now, so enjoy! Let me know what you think so far!

_6 months ago_

Scorpius ran all the way from the Quidditch pitch to the Slytherin dorms. Slytherin had just won the match against Ravenclaw and he was desperate to share his excitement with his best friend. Scorpius attended on his own, Albus had no intentions to attend any form of Quidditch match and Scorpius had long accepted it. Well, he had accepted it up until he realised that he really wanted Albus there next to him. Quidditch was fun but being with Albus was more fun. The thought hadn’t occurred to him until now, but he was desperate to tell Albus. They didn’t keep secrets from one another.

Maybe the epiphany was something he should keep to himself but keeping a secret from Albus would ruin their friendship even more than confessing his feelings to him would. Scorpius cursed himself for not realising sooner. Of course it was Albus. It had always been Albus, no matter what.

He was out of breath by the time he’d entered the dorm, the stairs up to the dorm killing him off. He swung the door open swiftly, still flustered and hyped on the adrenaline. He had no idea where his newfound confidence came from, all he knew was that he needed to tell Albus before it wore off.

“Hey, there you are,” Albus greeted when he entered. Scorpius had to pause for a moment and take him in: his adorable messy black hair completely untamed, his eyes dazzling and bright. He was sporting comfortable joggers and a hoody – one that Scorpius had borrowed last week. He was sat crossed legged on his bed, an open textbook in front of him. He may have looked scruffy and lazy to anyone else, but to Scorpius he was the most beautiful human he’d ever seen.

“Here I am,” Scorpius responded, still trying to catch his breath.

“Did you run here or something?” Albus chuckled.

“Yes, actually,” Scorpius kicked himself into gear, walking over and placing himself on Albus’ bed, his legs barely hanging off the edge.

“Why?”

“Albus, I have something to tell you. And all I can say is that I’m really sorry if this isn’t what you want or if it’s completely out of the blue, but I just need you to know before I literally explode and can no longer hide it. I only discovered it about half an hour ago, but I already feel like I’m bursting because I can’t hide things from you and I really hope this doesn’t ruin anything- us. Can you promise me that nothing will ruin our friendship before I say anything?” Scorpius finished his ramble.

Albus looked perfectly perplexed. “I promise.” He didn’t even need to think about it. Scorpius knew that. They needed each other, especially after their time-turner incident. They had both already confessed they preferred their lives with the other in it and that was before anything too traumatic happened.

“Good, so I’m just going to say it. Actually, no, I’m going to do it. Sorry, again, if this is too much. But actions speak louder than words and honestly I don’t think I can find myself to actually say anything, so, okay. Here goes.” Scorpius stared hard at Albus, taking in his beautifully confused lips before climbing further on the bed. He paused when he was sat opposite Albus on his knees. Scorpius looked at his lips, then back at his face, looking for any sign of discomfort. Albus, however, wasn’t giving anything away. Feeling like there was no backing out now, Scorpius closed the distant between their lips.

Albus didn’t hesitate for a second before kissing Scorpius back. Their lips moved in a messy, unsynchronised way. Neither of them had kissed anyone before, but Scorpius could never imagine kissing anyone that wasn’t Albus again. Maybe it was silly to think that, but there were so many things that had gone wrong in Scorpius’ life, and kissing Albus felt _right._ Nothing had ever felt more right before. Kissing Albus was like waking up on a fresh summers’ day with the sun creeping through your curtains. Kissing Albus was like diving into a pool on a scorching hot day. Kissing Albus was like the stars aligning. Kissing Albus was being fireproof. Kissing Albus felt like home and Scorpius had long been in search of a home.

Albus grabbed Scorpius’ waist, pulling him down to a lying position without breaking their kiss. Picking up on what Albus wanted, Scorpius swung his legs around, so he was straddling his hips, the movement clumsy and awkward but still very right. They kissed for a few moments longer, finally finding their rhythm. It was shortly after that Scorpius broke the kiss, needing to come up for air.

He pulled away slightly, breathing hard and his heart pounding, but he had to look at Albus. He had to see what he was feeling. Albus’ face broke out into a wide grin and Scorpius felt his own mirror it. His eyes were bright and full of joy, full of lust.

“Wow,” Scorpius breathed, too shocked to form any other words. He felt exhilarated. He felt on top of the world.

“Wow, indeed,” teased Albus. “Now, you’ve been away long enough,” he continued, pulling Scorpius back down by his jumper and connecting their lips again. It was the happiest Scorpius had felt in a while. He knew he would love Albus Potter forever.

 

* * *

 

 

_Present day_

“What’s going on out there?” Lily asked, panic evident in her tone. From outside the Gryffindor common room came incessant commotion, various spells being thrown that Albus couldn’t quite make out and the odd bang so loud it shot through the walls separating them from the tumult. Albus and James shared a worried glance, knowing the sound was more than a wayward duel between students.

“I’m not sure, Lulu,” James said, ever the level-headed grown-up when he needs to be. James may be childish, preferring pranks and trouble to the rules (how he made Prefect, Albus will never know), but he could put on his serious head on the odd occasion if he thought trouble was around the corner. The way that version of James made an appearance now made him nervous. “Wait here,” he said to them.

“What, James, no,” Albus protested verbally as Lily grabbed onto his sleeve to protest nonverbally. He turned to look at them, his brown eyes searching their faces intently before relenting. He dropped his stance and nodded.

“Come on, guys. This is Hogwarts, surely it’s nothing dangerous,” James tried to reassure them just as another bang exploded outside the corridor followed by a cry of distress. It made Lily jump. She looked up to James through her glasses, a look on her face saying: _really? If Albus wasn’t so nervous, it would have made him laugh._

“JAMES?” A distressed cry came from the common room entrance, a mass of blonde hair and black robes running towards them. It took Albus a moment the realise it was Cassie – Albus made a mental note to ask James about their supposed new relationship.

“Cass, is everything okay?” He asked, his voice now worried at her clear distress. Albus had never seen the head girl so bewildered before, she was usually as put together as his brother. She was panting hard, like she ran all the way here from the dungeons – for all Albus knew, she could have. Her tie was slightly undone, her shirt untucked from her skirt and there was a ladder in her tights.

“Not really. We need all the prefects in seventh year to help.”

“With what?” Albus asked, though he wasn’t a prefect nor was he in his seventh year.

“Someone’s managed to breach the wards. As far as we’re aware no one is in the castle, but there are hundred’s of boggarts that have been released and are literally causing terror. McGonagall’s trying to get everyone in their common rooms,” she explained quickly, looking between the three of them before settling back on James.

 _Boggarts._ A feeling of dread settled over Albus like a blanket. The last time he faced a boggart was his third year, which wasn’t as terrifying as he thought it could have been. However, times have changed. Albus’ boggart has definitely changed, and he knew there was no way he’d want to face one ever again.

Albus remembered the lesson like it was yesterday. Laughter rang throughout the room as everyone successfully transformed their boggarts. Albus’ broomstick (his fear was flying) changed to a balloon deflating throughout the classroom, knocking Polly Chapman on the head as it did, which was a small victory. However, the room was forced to silence when Scorpius stepped up to the front of the classroom. The boggart transformed without hesitation into his mothers’ corpse, lying still on the ground. It was a sickening sight, she was barely the shell of a person. The laughs faded into gasps. The entire room was still. No one, not even Scorpius, not even their Professor, knew how to react.

Scorpius Malfoy’s biggest fear was losing his mum.

Scorpius Malfoy was living his biggest fear.

It hadn’t occurred to Albus till that day just how brave his best friend really was. He saw Scorpius in a whole new light. His heart felt full as it filled with thoughts of Scorpius, until he remembered the way he’d left him. Pleading after him not to walk away.

“Scorpius,” Albus said, voice barely above a whisper. Lily, James and Cassie looked at him as he clearly interrupted a conversation he hadn’t been listening to. “Scorpius, have you seen him?” He directed the question to Cassie. If Scorpius was out there facing his boggart – whether it was still his mum or much worse – then he would need someone to comfort him from the heartbreak. He would need Albus. And Albus had walked away from him.

“I thought he’d be with you,” Cassie replied, concern lacing her tone. “He’s always with you. I checked the dorms but neither of you were there,” of course she’d assume they’d be together. They were never apart, and if they were they were never far from each other.

Albus’ heart dropped. If he wasn’t in the dorms then he was probably out there with all the commotion and shouts and screams. He could be in danger. Cassie said no one had entered, but that was only as far as they were aware. Surely, someone had to have entered the castle in order to release the boggarts, and for all they knew that person could still be in the castle.

“I have to find him,” Albus said, already making his way over to the door. James grabbed hold of him before he could get very far.

“Absolutely not,” he said when Albus shot him a dirty look.

Cassie stepped forward. “I can’t let you, Albus. Me and James are going to help the teachers capture them along with other students, but anyone who’s not a prefect or in seventh year has been ordered into their common rooms. Me and James will walk you there,” she explained.

“But, he’s out there. I need to find him,” Albus protested.

“I promise, Al, me and Cassie will find him and bring him to you,” James reassured. Albus went to protest again when James settled a hand on his shoulder. He hadn’t told James about his and Scorpius’ relationship. He hadn’t even meant to tell Lily. But, Lily kept her silence when James questioned him, and James knew Albus would tell him when he was ready. He’d never been very close to his siblings, but they talked about the important things.

“We’ll walk you to Slytherin, for all we know he might have come back,” Cassie tried to reassure but to little effect. Instead, Albus numbly nodded, too overwhelmed with heartbreak and worry to process much of what was going on.

For all Albus knew, they could have encountered a thousand boggarts in the walk down to the common room and he would never have noticed. His thoughts were clouded with Scorpius: of his big grey eyes glistening with tears; of his once wide-smiled lips pulled between his teeth; of the heartbreak written all over him, from his facial expression to his stance. Memories of Scorpius standing and begging for him not to walk away to memories of him standing in front of his boggart. There weren’t many times in the period he’d known Scorpius where he saw him rendered completely useless due to his heavy heart. Even after their return from time he didn’t falter much in his façade, apart from at night when the nightmares got too much.

His best friend was incredibly brave, even though he doesn’t always believe it.

When they arrived to the Slytherin dorms, Albus woke from his trance. He scanned the common room quickly and when he didn’t spot that familiar mop of blond hair, he raced to their dorm. His dorm mates were all there. But no Scorpius. Albus ran back to the common room to James.

“He’s not here. James, he’s not here,” Albus hadn’t realised at what point he started crying, but sure enough there were thick tears rolling down his cheeks. Albus didn’t cry much, that was more of a Scorpius trait.

“Albus, calm down, okay? We’ll go find him now, but promise me you’ll stay here?”

“Promise me you’ll find him,” Albus said, clinging onto James’ arms. He was starting to find it difficult to breathe, worry clouding his every nerve.

“Where would he be?”

“The Room of Requirement, maybe. Or the Astronomy Tower, or the lake,” there were so many places he could have taken refuge. So many places he’d go to hide from Albus.

“Okay, we’ll search there.” Albus knew James would do everything he could to help him simply because he knew he meant a lot to Albus, but he had to make sure he knew _just_ how much Scorpius meant to him.

“James,” Albus spoke, not even bothering to hide his desperation. He grabbed James’ arm as he turned to walk away. His brown eyes locked on Albus' green. “I love him.” It took a moment, only a short moment, from which James’ expression went from worry, to confusion to recognition. He looked at Albus in a way he’d never looked at him before. From the corner of his eyes, Albus saw Cassie looking between the two boys.

James nodded. “I’ll find him. If he means that much to you, then he means that much to me too,” he promised. With that, James and Cassie left, running off down the halls.

Albus’ legs buckled beneath him, sending him crashing to the floor where he was standing. He had no energy to get back up. Instead, he pulled his knees to his chest and hugged them, wallowing in his heavy heart. He felt utterly useless. He should get up and go find him. He should do _something_. But he couldn’t. Albus just had to hold James to his promise and hope that the next person that walked through that door would be Scorpius.

 

* * *

 

 

Scorpius woke to panicked shouts, low rumbles and the clamber of footsteps. It took a while for him to adjust, disoriented from his magical discharge.

“Albus?” He called out, being used to having the other boy next to him at all times. When no response came, dread settled through Scorpius’ bones. His eyes finally adjusted to the dull lighting, deciphering his surroundings as the Room of Requirement.

The memories from earlier that day – had it been earlier today or the day before? How long had he been asleep? – came flooding back to him. The shouting, the arguing, the article, Albus’ face as he told Scorpius that he can’t do this anymore. Can’t do what? Did this mean they were over? Had Albus really dumped him because Scorpius pushed him too far?

Pins pricked at his heart, a thousand all at once threatening to spill blood all over the floor. They can’t be over, Scorpius needed him.

He was snapped from his thoughts at the sound of a crash outside the door, followed by a loud curse word and a _Riddikulus_. Immediately, Scorpius produced his wand, fear running through his bones. The hair on the back of his neck stood up, fear coursing like electricity, igniting his senses and beating his heart.

His seemingly Gryffindor senses quickly dissipated with the sound, the room filling with an eerie quiet.

“What the…?” He muttered to himself, pressing his ear against the door. The sounds had faded slightly, footsteps running off in the distance. He shouldn’t have been able to hear outside, it was like the room needed to him to know that something was wrong.

There was a reason Scorpius was never sorted into Gryffindor, he had about the same amount of courage as a rabbit. He kept his wand firmly in his hand as he opened the door, hesitating a moment from the impending unknown. Scorpius could only hope that his sleep – or involuntary unconsciousness – had rejuvenated his magic enough.

Swallowing his fear, Scorpius stepped out of the room, watching the door disappear behind him. A sense of vulnerability washed over him, and Scorpius had to fight the urge to wrap his arms around himself. As the door closed and disappeared, the corridor faded to black. The candles along the corridor had been extinguished, a chill present in the air.

For a moment, Scorpius was back in the world where Voldemort ruled the wizarding world. The lack of lighting in the corridor scarily resembled the ones he walked as The Scorpion King. If he listened hard enough, he could still hear the screams of muggle-born students coming from the dungeons. A chill went through his spine, dread filling up his bones. Sweat dripped down his forehead, the ever-present anxiety growing with every second.

Unsure on how to proceed, Scorpius lit up his wand and put one unsure foot in front of the other. His heart pounded in his ears, louder and faster from fear of the unknown. He wasn’t sure exactly where the feeling of uneasiness come from, he just knew that shouts from students with _that_ particular spell could not be good. Scorpius still had nightmares of his third year DADA class of boggarts.

Going on instinct, Scorpius walked the opposite direction from where the footsteps had disappeared. He made it down to the fifth floor with no interaction. The lack of students was scarier than the appearance of them. A window he passed on the way down told him that the dark clouds hadn’t disappeared to make room for the sun, but it was not dark enough for the castle to be clouded in black.

He froze at the sound of voices down the hall, whispered and frantic. His skin pricked, adrenaline shooting through his bloodstream. To avoid them – even though seeing some people might make him feel less vulnerable – Scorpius turned. A gasp emitted from his lips before he could stop it. His throat went dry.

In front of him stood well… him.

Scorpius was hoping that when he left that awful world, he would leave behind The Scorpion King. The person he’d been when he was there. He committed terrible acts to fit in in fear of being hurt or killed himself and never making it home. They were acts of survival. He had never understood his father more. But, despite the acts being left behind, the memories followed him.

Either Scorpius was hallucinating, losing what was left of his mind, or this was a boggart. The shouts of the students from earlier finally made sense, but for the life of him Scorpius couldn’t force the words to escape his lips. His wand arm had dropped slightly.

There was only one word to describe how he felt: stunned.

The Scorpion King’s face erupted into a menace grin. Eyes – eyes exactly like his own – bore into his. Though, like Scorpius’, there was no joy in them, no light, nothing. They were empty. _Is that what I look like?_

“You’re weak,” The Scorpion King spat, his voice venomous. _Do I sound like that?_

“Albus is gone,” _no._ “You pushed him away.”

“I didn’t,” Scorpius whispered, trying to convince himself more rather than his evil doppelganger. The reassurance fell short. He couldn’t live in a world without Albus. It wasn’t possible. He needed him. He couldn’t disappear, he just couldn’t and not over something that could be fixed. Scorpius had learned that even things that seemed impossible could be fixed, so surely this could be too.

“You’re nothing without him and now he’s gone,” the Scorpion King stepped towards him, raising his own wand. The wand that Scorpius had before Delphi had broke it. The wand that he had cast those awful curses with. The wand that made him thankful when it broke. He couldn’t blame the wand, he knew that. But blaming the wand took some of the blame away from him. It was the only way he could live with his actions.

“Riddik-”

“Why would you want me gone? I’m all you have left,” the Scorpion King interrupted.

“No. No, I’m nothing like you,” he couldn’t even convince himself.

“ _Crucio,_ ” a scream had escaped Scorpius’ mouth before The Scorpion King could finish the sentence. The pain was muscle memory rather than the actual spell, a thousand knives stabbing at him over and over. It was excruciating. He dropped to the floor, his screams filling the empty hallway. When the Scorpion King lowered his wand, Scorpius was whimpering mess on the floor.

The Scorpius King raised his wand again, and Scorpius threw his hands in front of his face.

“ _Riddikulus,_ ” a female voice spoke before the curse could escape his lips.

A pair of hands were around his shoulders, pulling him up from the floor before Scorpius could register what had happened.

“It’s okay, buddy,” it was the voice of James Potter. It sounded so alike Albus’ that it made him feel safe. Not as safe as Albus made him feel, but safer than he had been.

“James?” He asked, his voice a weak whimper.

“Yeah, you’re okay,” he spoke. It was the softest he’d ever heard the older Potter boy speak. He felt stupid crying in front of him, but James never made him feel small.

He knew James didn’t like him. It was common knowledge. He didn’t need to know that to know that the reason he was holding him and helping him so gently now was because Albus had begged him to. It made his heart feel warmer that Albus still cared about him.

“What’s going on?” He willed himself to stop shaking, but the anxiety and pain was still coursing through his veins.

“Not important,” it was Cassie who spoke up. Scorpius had only just realised she was there. “We need to get you to the dorms.” She spoke like a true leader, charismatic and brave, but Scorpius could hear the worry in her voice.

“Albus is worried about you,” James told him in a low voice.

For the first time since the other two arrived, Scorpius looked at James. “Is he okay?” James nodded, and Scorpius felt himself relax a little more. Cassie looked at her surroundings quickly and then dropped on the floor beside Scorpius. She set a comforting hand on his knee.

“Are you okay, Scorpius?” Her voice was much softer now. Scorpius found himself smiling slightly.

“Yeah, as long as Albus is.” She gave him a reassuring nod and smiled. She rose to her feet and James helped Scorpius to his.

The three walked down to the dungeons, Scorpius holding onto James even though he was perfectly capable of walking. He felt weak, like his entire body was ready to collapse. James supported him, being much stronger and being able to handle Scorpius’ smaller structure. They encountered a few more boggarts down to the dungeons, ones that Cassie or James made disappear within seconds. He admired their courage. It made him wonder if Cassie should have been sorted into Gryffindor.

“Thank you,” he said to the both of them as the dungeons came into view. He was more hugging James than being held at this point, but he couldn’t find it in him to let go. James was currently the closest thing he had to knowing Albus was alive. He couldn’t believe he wasn’t gone until he saw him for himself. It was stupid, of course. Most things Scorpius thought were stupid and irrational. But, it made sense in his own head.

“Look, Scorpius, you mean a lot to my brother and therefore you mean a lot to me too,” James replied, squeezing him slightly. Scorpius smiled to himself, tears welling in his eyes. It had been a very over-emotional day.

“And you’re in my house, we protect our own,” Cassie added, placing a hand on his shoulder and squeezing too. She smiled at him, tears in her own eyes. She then looked at James, her face melting into one that Scorpius could only describe as admiration. He assumed he was looking back at her with the same face. Scorpius was too tired to question it.

When they entered the common room, Scorpius’ eyes instantly settled on Albus. He was out of James’ arms in a second, running over to the other boy. Albus scrambled to his feet just in time to catch him.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” Scorpius sobbed, throwing himself at Albus and burying his head in his neck. It felt good to have Albus’ arms around him. He felt for sure he had lost him. Scorpius knew the entire common room and James and Cassie were watching, but he had a feeling James knew now anyway. And Albus never pulled away. “I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have pushed you,” he cried.

“No, I’m sorry. It was my fault,” Albus cried back. Scorpius rarely saw Albus cry, but now he could feel the tears falling onto his shirt. “You’re not suffocating, not at all. I love you, okay? I love you and I’m so sorry.”

“I love you. I thought I lost you. He told me you were gone, and I was so scared, Albus. I can’t lose you, I can’t.” At this point, Albus was holding most of Scorpius’ weight as he scrambled to pull them closer. He loved holding Albus. It felt so good to hold him again. It had been a merely hours, but he had felt so lost without him.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he promised, stroking down Scorpius’ hair. Scorpius could breathe again, those words opening up the airways he hadn’t realised were closed. He clung onto Albus for dear life. If he let go the world would fall to pieces. He had no intentions of letting go and neither did Albus. They stood there, arms wrapped around each other while the school ran riot with boggarts, but Scorpius didn’t care. As long as he had Albus by his side he could take on anything.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Picture of Scorpius coming face-to-face with The Scorpion King, by: https://secretlydreamingofgansey.tumblr.com/
> 
> Thank you all for the support so far! Comment and Kudos give me life :)


	6. The Sands of Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An old ghost returns to Hogwarts, and the Aurors are called in to investigate the recent boggart attack.

_Fifi,_

_They’re in love, you know? Albus and Scorpius. Thought you ought to know._

_The boggarts worked. Aurors are searching the school as we speak, though we know they won’t find anything. You’ll be here soon. I miss you._

_M._

 

* * *

 

 

The wind whipped around her, cloaking her body in a bitter chill. The rain followed, soaking through her thin gown. Her silver-and-blue hair, dulled from the months of neglect, wrapped around her neck. It had grown irritatingly long.

Behind her was the tall stone walls of Azkaban, a place she’d been imprisoned for nearly a year. But now, they were behind her. She was free. She escaped like her mother did all those years ago.

She let out a loud cackle as her legs carried her away from the looming building. She was out. She was free.

And she was coming for all of those who ever wronged her.

 

* * *

 

 

They slept in the same bed for the first time that night. From start to finish, their arms and legs wrapped around each other. They didn’t sleep much. The events of the day had exhausted them, they were clutching at the edges of sleep, but they never fell. Instead, they watched the stars Scorpius enchanted to appear on the canopy of Albus’ bed, ones perfectly mirroring the current nights sky behind the dark clouds.

The night came and went. They talked about their fears. Scorpius told Albus about his run in with the boggart and vaguely of the events that happened in that dreaded world. He decided to answer Albus’ question from a few nights prior – why had he stopped using his wand. The answer was simple: his wand had caused him and others a lot of mental and physical pain. That wand was the wand he used to commit horrible curses. By blaming it on the wand, he was able to take the blame away from himself to some extent. Albus told him he was silly, that he was a good person no matter what he had done to survive and kissed him on the forehead.

They talked about their argument, they talked about how Scorpius wanted to come clean but Albus was scared. They came to the conclusion to allow the school to know – after all, most of Slytherin already did. The gossip wouldn’t reach their parents and even if it did they probably wouldn’t believe it. They wouldn’t formally announce it; they’d just sit closer, hold hands, kiss (but nothing to drastic, they didn’t want a reputation).

However, their plans were ruined when they walked into the Great Hall the next morning.

Scorpius had not planned to get out of bed. He was exhausted. He’d only managed to obtain a few hours of sleep towards the early morning. It was Saturday which meant they had no classes to get to. There were no responsibilities. However, an announcement on the board in the Slytherin common room told them they were to head to the Great Hall along with everyone else for an announcement from McGonagall.

They did so, trudging behind the other Slytherin’s slowly. Scorpius looked like he’d been dragged through a hedge backwards. He was wearing one of Albus’ oversized hoodies, his hair was messier than usual – almost beating Albus’ unruliness. If his father were to see him now, he’d be very disappointed.

“Is that your dad?” Scorpius muttered to Albus as they entered the Great Hall.

Instantly, Albus dropped his hand. Scorpius sighed, but bit his tongue. This is what they’d agreed. No parents. If Albus’ dad was here that meant they were off limits at school too. Albus glanced over to James and Lily at the Gryffindor table, who both shrugged when they noticed his gaze. Albus raised an eyebrow at his dad before settling down at the Slytherin table, sitting so close to Scorpius their thighs touched. At least Albus was still being close to him without it being too obvious. Scorpius decided Albus did need him as much as he needed Albus.

As Scorpius had effectively avoided other people during his hideaway in the Room of Requirement yesterday, he was yet to experience the reaction from the article about him written by Milo; however it seemed gossip had already moved on to the boggart infestation. Scorpius was glad of it. As he looked around the hall, he locked eyes with Milo Creevey, who was sat next to his sister at the Ravenclaw table. Milo grinned wickedly, sending a wink Scorpius’ way. He instantly looked away, shuffling closer to Albus.

“Everyone settle down,” Professor McGonagalls’ voice boomed throughout the hall, silencing students in a moment. “As I’m sure you’re all wondering about the breach of the wards last night, I have called you all here to address it. As some of you may know, hundreds of boggarts were released into our halls to wreak havoc. Some students were admitted to the hospital wing, but I assure you they are all doing well. A special thanks to our seventh-year prefects and Head Boy, Ignatius Bones, and Head Girl, Cassie Kingsley, who helped tremendously with the dispelling of the boggarts. We believe we have banished the majority, but please remain alert just in case. There are now Aurors in the castle, being led by Auror Potter, who are searching for the remaining boggarts and for any clues as to how they got in.”

McGonagall concluded her statement with a taut nod and Harry Potter stepped up to the podium.

“Ah- yes. Thank you, headmistress. And again thank you to the seventh-years who helped last night, it was incredibly brave of you. We currently have no reason to believe anyone is on school grounds who is not meant to be, but my team are searching the castle. If anyone has any ideas or knows anything, then feel free to approach me or any of my team, you can spot them by their red Auror robes. As for me, I’ll be temporarily be using Professor Longbottoms’ office during the conduction of the investigation if anyone has any queries. Thank you.”

The Great Hall busted into chatter as soon as Harry stepped back from the podium, food appearing in front of them. Albus filled up both their plates, though Scorpius didn’t have much of an appetite. However, he kept their routine and made himself a tea and Albus a coffee and handed it to him.

“So, dads’ going to be here for a while, brilliant,” Lily interrupted their routine and plonked herself down next to Scorpius. She gave him a tight-lipped smile and a playful nudge of the shoulder.

“Thought you’d be happy about dad being here,” Albus pointed out, clearly noting Lily’s sarcastic statement. Scorpius had never been very good at picking up on sarcasm.

“No, he’s going to ruin my whole my whole vibe!” She exclaimed, pouting as she stole a sip of Scorpius’ tea. Scorpius frowned and pushed it over to her, making a new one of his own.

“And what vibe is that?” Scorpius asked, eyes flicking from Lily to his wand which was filling up his cup.

“Incredibly cool, powerful, doesn’t often follow rules but always gets away with it,” she shrugged, a playful grin now on her lips.

“How?” Scorpius asked. “Actually, don’t answer that,” he continued, nudging her shoulder. She glowered at him before winking.

“Spill the beans, how long has this been going on?” Albus spoke, snapping both Lily and Scorpius from their shoulder-nudge competition. Scorpius looked up to see Cassie and James sitting opposite them. Their relationship was honestly the last thing on his mind, but apparently Albus was willing to forget about the potential attack looming over the castle.

James rolled his eyes and flicked his eyes around. “We got together end of last year, but with the summer and stuff it was difficult so it’s still fairly new. What about you two?” He flicked his eyes between Scorpius and Albus. Albus’ eyes widened before he took a look at his dad, still sat down with the teachers at the head table.

“Not so loud, we don’t want our parents knowing yet so please don’t tell dad,” Albus pleaded.

“Of course.”

“Six months, nearly seven.” Albus smiled dorkily at Scorpius, his lips curved in a way that was only ever meant for him. Scorpius’ heart swelled. Next to him, Lily cooed and rested her head on his shoulder.

“Shit, so this is serious?” James gasped.

“James,” Cassie scolded.

Both James and Albus ignored her. “About as serious as your middle name,” Albus said earning a chuckle from all four of them.

“Now, as the older brother I have to do this. Scorpius,” James turned to him. He may have been being nicer to Scorpius, but that didn’t make him any less intimidating. Scorpius gulped and looked at him, faking a small smile. “You hurt my brother and I’ll bat-bogey hex you so hard you’ll have to have your nose reconstructed.”

Instinctively, Scorpius reached up to his nose pinching it slightly before looking at James and nodded.

“If I hurt Albus, I’ll do that myself,” he replied, easily. He didn’t have to think about it. If he hurt Albus then he deserved every punishment that would ever come to him after.

“Leave him alone, James. Scorpius couldn’t hurt a fly,” Cassie defended him. Scorpius decided he could get used to her presence.

“Why are you defending him?” James asked, feigning disbelief.

“Us constellation kids have to stick together,” she winked at Scorpius.

“Your full name is Cassiopeia?” Scorpius guessed, not that it was hard to figure out.

“Yep, Cassiopeia Druella Kingsley,” she rolled her eyes. Scorpius could relate, his full name was just as ridiculous.

“Druella?” He asked, searching his brain for where he’d heard that name before but coming up empty.

“Yeah, why?”

“Nothing, just thought I’d heard it before,” he shook it off, just in time to see headmistress McGonagall and Albus’ dad make their way over.

Harry Potter used to excite Scorpius. There was a certain childish joy over having his best friends dad be _the_ Harry Potter. However, as the years went on the novelty wore off. Especially last year when he (even if it was in some alternate universe) separated them. He believed the rumours on Scorpius’ heritage and started investigating it. Of course, since then, he had debunked those rumours. He was now quite good friends with his father and accepted Albus’ and Scorpius’ friendship – finally. That never stopped the uneasy anxiety in his stomach whenever he saw the older Potter.

Over the summer, Albus and Scorpius had been able to see each other once. On Albus’ birthday. Harry Potter was friendly enough with him, but Scorpius could sense there was still some tension. He wondered if Harry would ever get used to his presence – after all, Scorpius was here to stay if Albus would let him.

“Hey kids, sorry to surprise you with my appearance like that. If I could have warned you, I would have,” Harry looked anxiously between his three children. Lily – despite her earlier comment – was smiling widely, James had risen to give his dad a hug and Albus was… well being Albus. He was getting on better with his father, but he was always glad for the escape to Hogwarts whenever possible. Now that his father had invaded here, too, Scorpius guessed he wouldn’t be happy. Especially because it meant they still had to hide away.

“Any idea what’s going on?” Lily asked as James sat back down.

“Afraid not, honey. But you lot will be the first-”

“Mr Potter?” Harry was interrupted by the Creevey twins, who had made their way over to talk to him. “Can we talk to you for a moment?” It was Lara who was speaking, but the way Milo was staring at Scorpius gave him an uneasy feeling.

“Yes, of course. Excuse me,” he nodded towards his children then to McGonagall before walking off to a more isolated corner of the room to speak with the twins.

“Mr. Malfoy?” McGonagall spoke, drawing Scorpius’ attention away from the where Harry and the twins had wandered off too.

“Yes, professor?”

“I’m afraid we’ll have to move our meeting until after the Aurors are gone. I hope you understand.” Scorpius had almost forgotten he was supposed to meet with her today about his out-of-control magic.

“No problem, professor. Actually, it’s getting a lot better. I’ve been practicing.”

“Very good. It’s very impressive you’ve been able to teach yourself, most of those who had similar issues had to have a tutor, even Albus Dumbledore.”

“Dumbledore?” Scorpius asked, dumbfounded. Dumbledore was the most powerful wizard at the very least of his generation and the next. He was incredible, there was no way she had just put _him_ in the same boat as _Dumbledore_. Compared to him, Scorpius was nothing. He was just a boy. A scared, timid boy with no control over his magic. That didn’t make him powerful. It made him dangerous.

McGonagall was about to speak again when Harry came back over and whispered something in her ear. She deflated slightly at the news, and the five students shared a worried glance.

“Scorpius-” Harry began before McGonagall cut him off.

“No, you are not interrogating my students," she scolded, before turning back to him. "Mr. Malfoy, someone has come forward with the speculation you may be involved in the boggart attacks, is this true?” McGonagall’s tone was softer than Harrys’.

Scorpius perked up in his seat. “What? No, no, no,” he proceeded to say ‘no’ a further seven times before Albus’ hand on his thigh under the table cut him off.

“Dad, don’t be ridiculous,” Albus input, instantly coming to defend his friend.

“Mr. Potter, it wasn’t Scorpius,” Cassie also defended.

“Some students seem to think differently,” Harry explained, his accusing tone now softened.

“Milo Creevey has it out for me,” Scorpius explained. “I don’t know why. But, I was in the Room of Requirement yesterday until the well after the attacks started.”

“Can anyone confirm this?” Harry asked. Scorpius shrunk in his seat. No one could, he hadn’t told anyone where he was going and therefore had no alibi. As he was about to tell this information to Harry, James spoke up.

“We found him up there. After the attacks started me and Cassie went looking for him, Albus was worried because he was alone, and boggarts are nasty things, especially when you’ve been through what Scorpius has. We found him on the seventh floor facing a particularly nasty boggart,” it was a small lie. They hadn’t found him on the seventh – he was on the fifth. Scorpius felt his heart warm at the fact that all these people had come to defend him. If this had happened a year ago, there would be no doubt that Scorpius would be being punished for actions he never committed.

“Why were you in the Room of Requirement?” Harry turned to him after nodding at James’ statement.

“I go there quite a lot,” he turned to Professor McGonagall. “It’s the only place I feel safe if my magic becomes too difficult to contain. It repairs itself so it’s safe,” he explained, and McGonagall nodded, seemingly understanding. Scorpius was actually glad she was aware of his current predicament.

“Magic?”

“Dad, stop questioning him. He hasn’t done anything wrong, okay?” Albus spat, shooting daggers towards his father. Harry held his hands up in surrender.

“I was just following up. Sorry, Scorpius.” Scorpius nodded in acknowledgement at the apology.

Harry and McGonagall wandered off, making their way out to the hall and no doubt up to the headmistresses office. Scorpius sighed and leaned his head on Albus’ shoulder as soon as they were out the hall. Albus leaned back against him, stroking a hand through his hair. Scorpius let himself close his eyes, the bustle of the hall fading slowly as students made their way out.

Eventually, Albus and Scorpius were left alone. Lily said something about going to the library to catch up on a homework assignment, Cassie muttered about going to the owlery to send a letter and James mumbled about a nap he was going to take before doing some of his own homework.

Scorpius and Albus were sat for ages at the Slytherin table, long after everyone left. They couldn’t find it in them to leave too. They talked in quiet voices about everything and nothing. Scorpius played with Albus’ free hand whilst his other ran through Scorpius’ hair.

Scorpius was almost too tired to notice the rumble of clouds above them that began pouring heavy rain drops – the storm that had been on the brink for days finally making an appearance. It filled the air with a musky warmth. He huddled in closer to Albus. He hated storms, they were noisy and unpredictable.

There was a strange feeling in his stomach. Normally, this close to Albus, he felt nothing but warmth and contentment. But, this was different. He felt like they were being watched. Scorpius flicked his eyes around the room, making sure everyone had gone. As he glanced at the now-open grand doors, he thought he saw a flash of silver and blue hair disappear in a hurry, but he was so tired he couldn’t be sure. The uneasy feeling sank further, rising up in his throat.

It couldn’t be who he thought it was. So, he tried his best to let it go.

 

* * *

 

 

Harry Potter was incredibly exhausted. It was the price to pay for having his own department within the Ministry. The hours were long, the days tiring, the nights even worse. He seemed to never break.

When he got the call about the breach in the Hogwarts wards followed by a mass boggart attack, he instantly made his way there. His children were at that school and he would do everything to protect them. He told Ginny, who said that she’d like to go as well, and Harry promised that if she was needed he’d send for her.

However, by the time he arrived, most the boggarts had been banished with help from his brave son, his new girlfriend and the other seventh-year prefects and professors. There was still the issue of how the boggarts got in and who let them in. Harry got the majority of his Aurors on the case, searching the school for any sign of a breach. He even called a few in from Azkaban – including his godson Teddy – to help with the search.

Harry rubbed his eyes before placing his glasses back on. Teddy sat next to him, not looking in a much better state. His hair was a murky brown, the colour it went when he was too tired to change it – it was his natural hair, hair that resembled his fathers. Professor McGonagall stood pacing up and down her office, just as stumped as the rest of them.

“Hundreds of students in this school and no one saw anything?” Teddy said now, sitting up slightly to stop himself from falling asleep.

Harry shrugged. “Apparently. Apart from those Creevey kids-”

“Who never saw anything, only speculated because they have a grudge,” McGonagall interrupted him. She had a point. The Creevey kids never had any concrete evidence to blame Scorpius for. Harry had just blindly listened to them and would have gone in all guns blazing, if it wasn’t for Minerva.

“That grudge has to come from somewhere,” Harry pointed out.

“Maybe it was the fact that their uncle was killed in the war,” Minerva suggested.

“So were my parents. I don’t have a grudge over the Malfoy family,” Teddy spat. “Especially Scorpius. I don’t know him much now, but when he was kid he was the kindest little boy I’d ever met. I highly doubt that’s changed. Albus is a lot of things but he’s also a good judge of character, he wouldn’t be friends with Scorpius if that were the case. Now, can we look at actual potential people who did this?” Teddy asked.

Harry could see he was fuming. He didn’t like it much when people insulted his family. He may not know the Malfoys’ like he did before his grandmother Andromeda died, but he still considered them his family despite moving in with Harry. He could understand his anger; Harry would be angry too if someone accused his family of such heinous acts.

“Okay,” Harry said, unable to form other words. Minerva seemed just as stumped. They continued to mull over the situation in silence, searching their brains for potential suspects. Harry was about to give up when Hermione came tumbling through the floo. She looked bewildered, her hair wilder than usual, clothes rumbled from the floo that she never bothered to put right. Instead she ran over to where the three of them were sat, out of breath.

“Delphi’s escaped from Azkaban.” It was four words, but they sent Harry into a blinding panic.

“Escaped? How? How long ago?” He spoke, rising from his seat and joining Minerva in her pacing.

“We don’t know,” Hermione sighed. An alarm blared from McGonagalls’ desk and the uneasy feeling within Harry solidified.

“The wards have been breached again,” she confirmed. “Get everyone to the Great Hall, now.” There was no time for other words to be spoken. They each broke into a run, telling each and every student to get the Great Hall. Harry sent some Aurors’ there to look after the students that made it and to make sure everyone was safe. They ran around like headless chickens, the panic blinding.

 _The kids._ He told Teddy to check on Albus whilst he went to the Gryffindor common room in hopes to catch James and Lily. His kids were always his first priority.

 

* * *

 

 

Delphi chuckled to herself from behind her cloak, hiding in the crevices watching the horror unfold. Someone appeared beside her, but the smell of lavender made her not worry.

“You’re here, Fifi,” they spoke, excitement in their tone.

“I’m here,” she confirmed. Delphi turned to face the other and locked their eyes together, brown eyes meeting silver. “Let’s make them pay for ever forgetting who we are.” They both grinned wickedly and nodded before going their separate ways. They had chaos to unfold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone's favourite villain is back! Well, I don't know if she's everyone's, but I have a fondness for her psychotic ways :') The question is... who is she conspiring with?  
> I would love it if you guys left your thoughts in the comments, honestly it makes everything I do worthwhile :) Thank you to everyone reading and I hope you're enjoying so far!  
> Also, enjoy this drawing of Delphi by the lovely: https://secretlydreamingofgansey.tumblr.com/


	7. A Waiting Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The castle is under attack, but all they can do is sit and wait it out.

Scorpius had fallen asleep in his lap. It can’t have been comfortable. His body was spread across the wooden bench, stretched out in a thin line, and his head resting on Albus’ thighs. It was a strange sight. Usually when Scorpius slept he curled into a ball; a ball so tiny it shouldn’t have been possible for someone of his height. Now, stretched out on the bench, Albus could appreciate Scorpius for all his long and lanky limbs.

Bustling voices screaming directions stirred him from his slumber and he let out a tiny groan that made Albus’ heart flip before stretching, his hoody riding up slightly to reveal his waist line. Albus forced away the urge to tickle it, forcing his attention to the hall filling up with panicked students and Aurors’ in red robes.

Scorpius sat up, quickly recovering from his sleep. “What’s going on?”

Albus reached over, massaging his undoubtedly sore shoulders. Again, Scorpius groaned slightly and Albus couldn’t help the smirk that rose on his face. Professor June followed some of the students, ordering them to take a seat and stick together.

“I don’t know,” Albus replied, looking around the hall to see if any of his siblings had entered. Scorpius rose, grabbing Albus’ hand and pulling him up and across the hall.

“Rose!” Scorpius called to Albus’ cousin. Albus hadn’t seen her enter but was glad that someone from his family was there.

“Albus, Scorpius!” She turned to face them, her freckled face contorted in worry. She brought her hand to her mouth and began chewing anxiously at her nails. It was a childhood habit she’d never kicked. Scorpius leaned over and pulled her hand from her mouth, to which she smiled gratefully.

“What’s going on?” Albus asked.

She shook her hair, her red curls shaking around her. “We were just told to come here, something about a breach in the wards again, but this time they think someone actually got into the school.”

Next to him, Albus saw Scorpius pale. It shouldn’t have been possible for him to pale anymore than he already was, but somehow he managed to achieve it.

“You okay?” Albus asked, squeezing his hand slightly. Scorpius looked at him, his eyes distant, and nodded. Albus didn’t believe it for a second, but let it drop for now.

His attention was stolen by Lily who called his name and came running over, jumping in his arms when she was close enough. It was lucky Lily was small because otherwise Albus wouldn’t have been able to catch her. She immediately started ranting about how the Aurors had stormed the library and directed them all here then dismissed herself to go and find Avery, her best friend. It all happened so fast that Albus barely had time to process her thoughts. It wasn’t until she was gone that Albus realised James and Cassie were there as well.

They sat at the Gryffindor table, though it seemed no one was paying attention to the tables they were sat at. There were many integrated houses at each one, friends sticking with friends and family sticking with family. All of the Weasley-Potters that remained at Hogwarts all found refuge with each other, along with their friends. Fred was sat next to James, his arm around Roxanne who was sat with Louis. Hugo was with Lily and her friends just slightly down the table. Rose stayed with Albus and Scorpius, along with her best friend Mia. Some of Cassie’s friends had joined her, but she refused to leave James’ side.

It seemed to be hours before his dad entered the Great Hall. There was no telling what was going on outside. The only source of information they had was when a few wayward students finally made their way to the hall, some were mildly injured but most were just shocked. Scorpius hadn’t spoken the entire time. He just sat close to Albus, twiddling his thumbs and biting his lip. Albus was at a loss of how to help him. He shrugged off Albus’ questions and nodded whenever Albus asked if he was okay.

Albus, James and Lily finally perked when their dad entered, in tow with Teddy and their-

“MUM!” Lily shouted, jumping up from the chess game she was playing with Hugo and running towards her to embrace her. James and Albus quickly followed.

“What’s going on?” James asked, hugging his mum before Albus.

“We heard someone’s in the castle,” Lily supplied, giving his dumbstruck parents a starting point. Albus hugged his mum, revelling in her hand in his messy hair. It was a comforting gesture he’d grown used in the past year. If he was feeling low or particularly sulky, he would go to his mum and rest his head in her lap and let her run her hands through his hair. It was a chance to lay his weary head. Since the end of last years debacle, he had come to appreciate his mother and father a lot more.

“We're under attack, majority ex-death eaters from what we can tell and most have fled by now, but they have a ring-leader,” Harry confirmed.

“Do we know who?” Lily asked.

“We have our suspicions.” For some reason, Albus got the feeling he didn’t want to tell his kids everything he knew.

Albus narrowed his eyes at his father. “Like who?” Harry turned to Albus when he spoke. A flash of concern flicked across his eyes, quickly disappearing for a neutral expression. Albus was not going to let it go.

“Delphi?” A voice interrupted them just as Harry was about to speak. The Potters turned to Scorpius who had approached them. It was the first word he’d spoken since the Great Hall was invaded with students god knows how many hours ago.

 _Delphi? It can’t be,_ Albus thought. _She’s in Azkaban._

“How do you know?” Albus asked, eyes flicking between his boyfriend and his dad. Harry sighed but never spoke, somehow confirming Scorpius’ suspicions.

“I didn’t. I thought I saw her earlier, but I was so tired I convinced myself I was imagining things,” Scorpius spoke, voice low and timid. Albus wanted to reach over and grab his hand but refrained knowing his parents were watching.

“You saw her? Where?” Harry asked, raising his voice slightly and stepping forward. Albus was ready to snap when his mum placed a hand on his shoulder to silence him. His heart broke when Scorpius took a step back, still twiddling his thumbs. He reached up and pointed towards the doors, indicating where he thought he saw her. “You didn’t tell anyone?”

“Harry,” Teddy scolded. “What did we talk about earlier?” Albus had forgotten his godbrother was here but was grateful for it. It seemed Teddy – and maybe Ginny – was the only one who could calm him when he was off on a tangent. Harry surrendered, stepping back next to Ginny and shaking his head.

Scorpius stared at the Potters’ with wide terrified eyes before he decidedly stepped back before turning away and fleeing the scene, probably wishing he never said anything at all.

“Scorpius, wait!” Albus called, turning to shoot daggers at his father before running after Scorpius. He didn’t go far, only back to where they were sitting before. Albus sat down next to him, itching to reach out but stopping himself from doing so. Instead he just sat next to him as they have been doing for a while.

Albus felt like the waiting game was the worst part. No one had any new information on the invasion of the school, no one knew anything. There were students and teachers missing and Aurors’ out searching for them, but it seemed Delphi had disappeared. She was no where to be seen inside the castle and neither were the missing people. Albus had a feeling they hadn’t left yet, that would be too easy.

Parents of students have volunteered to help patrol the school and look after the remaining kids. Scorpius’ dad showed up late in the evening and it was the first time Albus had seen him perk up in hours. He ran at him and engulfed him in a hug, interrogating him about his presence in fast, barely-comprehendible sentences.

A raid was led by Albus’ mum and Luna Lovegood, who recruited a few seventh-year students to accompany them to the kitchens to feed the rest of the school. It was successful, luckily and everyone came back in one piece. Overall, the evening was pretty uneventful, if not frustrating. Professor McGonagall had no idea how long they would be staying and had swapped out the tables for sleeping bags at some point during the evening.

The worst part was the helplessness.

Albus wanted desperately to help. He wanted to go on a raid. He wanted to help find the missing kids. He wanted to help treat the injured kids who made it to the hall. He wanted to find Delphi and kill her just so this whole thing would end. He wanted to help and there was no way he could. He felt utterly useless.

As the night drawled on, people started getting tiresome. Many students retired to their assigned sleeping bag, the nervous chatter drowning into careless whispers. There were some students who were restless. There was a small group in the corner using their wand light to tease a students’ cat. It was led by Heather Clearwater, a sixth-year Hufflepuff whose brother hadn’t yet arrived at the Great Hall. She was fierce, Albus decided. He’d been watching her a lot. She demanded to go on raids and help look but had been shot down at every opportunity. Now, she decided to channel her determination into helping others – ever the Hufflepuff – and was helping other students who were too scared to sleep.

In another corner was a game of exploding snap going on behind silencing charms. Most people stuck to groups, all of different ages and different houses. Under any other circumstances, it would have been nice to see.

Albus looked around, searching for a spot of blond hair that would stand out even in the dimly lit hall. Scorpius was sat crossed legged against the wall, his eyes illuminated by an orb of light he was manipulating with his hands. After his father had arrived, Albus left them alone for a while, knowing Scorpius would be thankful for the time to catch up with his father. Albus stood up and walked over to him, passing his sleeping parents who had Lily tucked in between them, and a whispering James and Cassie curled up in one sleeping bag.

Albus settled down next to his boyfriend, eyeing the ball of light carefully as Scorpius spun it in different directions: up, down, full circle, left, diagonal. He used his hands to increase it’s size and then decrease it and increase then decrease over and over.

“It started to get bad again,” Scorpius explained, referring to his wayward magic. Albus didn’t think he noticed him sit down, but clearly he did. “This helps it contain itself and helps me focus. We’ll have bigger problems than Delphi if it gets too much,” the self-deprecation in his tone was thick. Albus glanced around the room, checking both his parents and Scorpius’ dad was asleep before leaning up and planting a kiss on Scorpius’ cheek.

“You’re bloody brilliant,” he praised and felt his heart fill with joy as he watched a smile finally envelope Scorpius’ features.

Scorpius stopped his magic, the ball of light now floating gently in the air. For the first time since he sat down, Scorpius turned to look at him.

“I thank my lucky stars everyday that I found you, you know?” Scorpius whispered. Albus was stuck for words, so he leaned over and kissed Scorpius’ lips softly before resting his head on his shoulder.

They sat in silence, both unsure on how to talk about their current situation. How were they supposed to deal with Delphi again? They’d barely recovered from the last time. Because of her, they both suffered from terrible nightmares that kept them up through the night. Scorpius was severely anxious most of the time, constantly aware of his surroundings. Every slight bang made him jump. For a while after it happened, Scorpius barely ate a thing. He favoured lying in bed – which was very uncharacteristic for him, Scorpius was usually the first up out the two. It had taken him ages to recover from what he’d seen in the second timeline, and even longer to get over being hit by the Cruciatus curse. Sometimes, he claims he can still feel it. The tingling of a thousand knives remaining in his body.

As for Albus, well he claimed he was fine. And he was. Mostly. The worst part of it for him was the guilt. It was his fault, after all. He’d been the one who wanted to so badly show his father he wasn’t just his Slytherin disappointment of a son. He wanted to prove himself. He was the reason his father had to watch his parents die. He was the reason his fathers’ PTSD nightmares had started again. HE was the reason Craig had died. He was the reason Scorpius couldn’t sleep properly because of nightmares. He was the reason Scorpius had to face a world without him. He was the reason Scorpius stopped performing magic for a while. Everything was his fault. That knowledge was the worst for Albus. It was that guilt – yes, and the unbearable nightmares – that kept him awake at night.

Things had improved over time. With the help of each other, Scorpius and Albus started sleeping and eating better. Scorpius picked up a wand again and wasn’t so afraid of magic. Well, he wasn’t until recently when his magic became uncontrollable. His fathers’ nightmares had eased again, and they had even started to recover their broken relationship. Things were just starting to get good again. Albus should have known it never would have lasted.

“Albus?” Scorpius’ voice, barely above a whisper, snapped him from his thoughts.

“Yeah?”

“What are we going to do? Seeing her again, it…”

“I know,” Albus supplied when Scorpius struggled to find the words. “I don’t know.”

“I know you don’t want our parents to find out about us, but can you stay with me tonight?” Truth was, Harry and Ginny finding out about them was the furthest thing from his mind. He suddenly didn’t care all that much. He wanted to be close to Scorpius. He wanted to be able to hold him when he felt down, and he would be feeling down a lot over the next few days. Albus didn’t know how long he’d be able to hold back before crumpling anyway. So, with that knowledge, he agreed.

The boys stood, and hand-in-hand walked over to where their sleeping bags were. Instead of climbing into separate ones, Albus opened them both fully, spreading one on the ground and pulling Scorpius down with him before spreading the other over the two of them. Albus lay on his back and Scorpius lay his head on Albus’ chest, an arm flung around his stomach and a leg bent over his legs. Albus wrapped his arms around Scorpius and planted a kiss on the crown of his head.

Scorpius traced constellation patterns over Albus’ stomach until they both fell asleep, wrapped in the arms of their love like it should always have been.

 

* * *

 

 

Ginny Potter looked down at her sleeping son and his best friend, wrapped in each other’s arms. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen her youngest son look so relaxed, so content. She couldn’t help the fond smile grow on her face. She leaned over a kissed Albus’ forehead, having to brush the hair away from it slightly. His eyes fluttered open.

“Mum?” He said sleepily, voice still hoarse from his sleep. He looked down at the blond-haired boy sleeping on his chest and smiled slightly, but it soon dropped when he remembered his mother was watching. “Is everything okay?” He kept his voice a whisper, careful not to wake Scorpius. Ginny nodded softly, continuing to brush Albus’ hair from his face.

“You and Scorpius?” She asked quietly. Albus’ expression turned into one of guilt as he looked back at Scorpius then to his mum and nodded. “Are you happy?” It was all she cared about really.

“Very.” There was no hesitation, that’s what Ginny wanted to hear.

“Then, so am I,” she smiled, giving his cheek one last stroke. She leaned down and kissed his cheek.

“And dad?”

“I think he’s a little shocked, but he’ll be fine,” she assured. “You should talk to him.” Albus nodded, eyes flicking around the room to spot his father, but it was unsuccessful as he was pinned down by the boy on top of him.

Carefully, Albus shuffled from underneath Scorpius, desperate not to wake up the other boy. He failed. Scorpius flicked open his wide grey eyes, instantly connecting with Albus’ green and grinning soppily.

“Morning,” he mumbled, sleeping rubbing his eyes.

“Sorry, I tried to not wake you,” Albus replied, the same sappy look in his eyes. Albus brushed a stray piece of Scorpius hair from his face.

“It’s okay,” he sat up and placed a small kiss on Albus’ lips. Scorpius then turned to Ginny, realising she was there a little too late. He jumped, giving himself some distance from Albus, but Ginny could tell he was reluctant to go too far.

“Oh- Mrs. Potter. Er… hi,” he awkwardly waved, before grabbing his waving arm with his other hand and forcing it down, like the limb had moved on it’s own accord. Albus chuckled slightly.

“Good morning, Scorpius,” she greeted. “And I think it’s time you call me Ginny, right?” Scorpius’ eyes flicked to Albus who smiled reassuringly before turning back to Ginny. She knew exactly what happened, the silent conversation the two shared. It was nice that Albus had found someone to share moments like that with. She had always known they were closer than most friends, she just never expected them both to realise it so soon. Scorpius looked back at her and nodded but failed to say anything else.

“I’ll leave you boys to it,” Ginny spoke, rising from her seat and walking over to her daughter.

Albus watched her go, a heavy weight lifting from his heart. His parents _knew._ His parents were okay with it. Well, his mum was. He was yet to face his dad. But they knew and right then it’s all that mattered. A wide grin spread across his face involuntarily. Albus scanned the room for his dad, finding him the leader of a pack of seventh-years and a few parents who have volunteered to help.

He went to tell Scorpius where he was going, but the thought got lost when he noticed Scorpius staring sadly at a sleeping lump across from them. His father. He still didn’t know. It wasn’t until then Albus realised that Scorpius wanted his father to catch them snuggling in bed. That way he wouldn’t have to tell him personally, he could just deal with the aftermath.

Scorpius sighed. “Your parents okay with us?”

“I think so. Haven’t spoke to dad but mum seemed fine,” Albus confirmed.

Scorpius turned to him and flashed him a smile. A sad one. “Good.” Albus wanted to tell him that it _was_ good but refrained. It wasn’t what Scorpius wanted to hear.

Here’s the thing about Scorpius Malfoy: he was a bloody good actor. You would think upon first meeting that he wears his heart on his sleeve. He smiles _constantly_ but is also never afraid to cry. But, after getting to know him you’d think they were the only two emotions he feels. Happiness with the occasional bout of sadness. Albus had come to learn that was far from the truth. Most his emotions – the very important ones at least – he buried deep within him. He worries all the time about pretty much everything – his grades (everyone knew this); his homework; Albus; whether or not he’s eating enough; whether or not he’s sleeping enough. But, the one – and most important – thing he worries about, in which no one would ever guess, is his father.

However, he doesn’t just worry in the casual way a son should worry about his father. No, it was much more dramatic. He worried whether his father was eating, sleeping and smiling enough. He worried mostly about his fathers’ happiness and whether he felt that emotion at all. But, most importantly, he worried about his fathers opinion. His fathers opinion mattered the most to him. If Draco Malfoy doesn’t approve of those new boat shoes in that fancy French market then Scorpius wouldn’t buy them no matter how much he loved them. If Draco Malfoy didn’t want Scorpius to end up in Slytherin house, then you bet your broomstick that Scorpius would have found some way to move. If Draco Malfoy didn’t approve, then Scorpius didn’t do. His approval meant more than anything.

That was why he was _terrified_ of telling his father. Not that he had told Albus any of this. Albus thought he was worried the normal amount. He never let on that he would be scared of his fathers’ reaction. In fact, he never mentioned it. Which leads back to how good of an actor he was and how deeply he buried his feelings successfully. Not even Albus had figured it out. Not until he was watching Scorpius watch Draco with that goddamn sad smile that Albus wanted to kiss away.

“Do you think he’ll be disappointed?” Scorpius asked now.

There was another thing about Scorpius Malfoy: he hated disappointing people. Especially his father. But, he had grown up – much like Albus – as the family disappointment. He was different from any Malfoy to come before him and Malfoys’ never did like different. Different meant a stray from the rules. Different meant disobedience. And Scorpius had done nearly everything to break away from the strangling mould of his family’s name.

Then, there’s a thing about Draco Malfoy: he couldn’t – no matter how hard he tried – be disappointed in his son. It was _his_ son. His and Astoria’s. How could anyone be truly disappointed in his own son. Especially one that turned out to be as kind and thoughtful as Scorpius was. Scorpius was everything Draco Malfoy hadn’t been as a child and for that he couldn’t be prouder.

“No, I don’t,” Albus told him honestly. Scorpius looked at him dumbfounded, struck for words. He searched Albus’ face for any sign of lies and found nothing. So, he smiled. And it was the most beautiful smile to ever grace this Earth. Albus leaned down and placed a kiss over his grinning lips, finding himself thankful that he loved Scorpius honestly and wholeheartedly.

Albus suddenly remembered his previous task and told Scorpius where he was going before stalking over to his dad. He fumbled with the sleeves of his jumper, wringing them between his fingers as he stood unsurely in front of the crowd waiting for his dad to finish giving his orders.

“Going somewhere?” Albus finally asked when the group split. Harry jumped and turned to face his youngest son, a smile playing on his lips.

“Poppy needs healing supplies, we’re getting two groups, one to go to the hospital wing and the other down to the potions closet,” Harry explained, closing the distance and wrapping a single arm around Albus’ shoulder. The tension seemed to fade. His father was still hugging him; he couldn’t have been that disappointed.

Albus searched inside him for the only ounce of Gryffindor courage he’d acquired from his family to bring up his next question.

“Me and Scorpius… you’re okay with it?” He didn’t dare look at his father.

“I’ll admit it was a shock, but in hindsight I should have seen it coming,” his father admitted. Albus snapped his head to look at him, confusion clouding his expression.

“Why?”

“Well, your mother and I talked, and she mentioned how you’ve always been close. Then, she mentioned how you’ve only ever had each other, how you serve as anchors for each other, especially for Scorpius when he was attacked by that dementor. And you’ve been through a lot together and seemingly came out stronger. It was definitely something I should have seen, but you know how oblivious I am,” he chuckled. “Point is, if you’re happy, Albus, then so am I. I don’t give him enough credit, but Scorpius is a great kid.”

Albus glanced over to where he left Scorpius, only to now found him cradled in his fathers’ arms. A sappy smile painted on his lips and – if you squinted – there was a similar smile mirrored on Draco’s face.

“Yeah he is,” Albus confirmed. Harry followed his gaze before patting him on the shoulder and smiling fondly at him. He turned to carry on whatever he was doing before Albus interrupted. Albus turned to face him.

“Can I come?” Albus asked. Harry gave him a sceptical look before shaking his head. “Dad, please! I’m bored, and I want to help do something. You know I can help, please? James gets to go,” he pleaded.

Harry sighed, eyeing him carefully. “If I let you go as well then Lily will want to go, too.”

“Lily’s thirteen! I’m fifteen and perfectly capable.”

“Fine, but only if your mother agrees,” Harry relented. Albus whooped and crashed into him with a hug, muttering a thousand ‘thank yous’’ over and over. He ran to ask his mum, who said yes _but only if your father agrees._ Albus hugged her, too.

He was finally doing something. He finally got to put his skills to the test, show his dad that he wasn’t just a stupid kid who messes with time and alternate timelines. He could be useful. He would be.

“What! No!” Was Scorpius reaction when Albus ran back over telling him the good news. Well, it was good to Albus. To Scorpius it was very, very, very bad news. “Albus, Delphi is out there. You could get hurt. You could be what she’s after. There are students missing, Albus. Heather Clearwaters’ brother, and have you noticed Lara and Milo Creevey aren’t here? Albus this is bad, very, very bad.” He was pacing back and forth, flailing his arms dramatically. Albus rolled his eyes.

“Scor, my dad will be with me and so will James and Cassie. They’ll all be protecting me, you have nothing to worry about,” Albus tried to reassure. But, to no avail. He should have known. There was no reassuring Scorpius once he’d worked himself up.

“Except there’s everything to worry about! You might not come back, that’s the worse it can possibly get and it’s very much possible,” his voice went slightly higher as though he was trying to make light of the situation. He failed.

Albus sighed, stopping his actions of putting his shoes on and crossed over to Scorpius. He grabbed his flailing arms and held them between them. Though, he couldn’t find any words of wisdom. So, instead, he took hold of Scorpius’ cheeks and kissed him softly, telling him everything he wanted to say with just a single kiss. When they pulled away, he wasn’t surprised to see tears streaking Scorpius’ flustered cheeks.

“Come back to me.” Scorpius said, leaning his forehead against Albus’.

“I will,” he promised.

“Albus! Draco! Come on,” Harry shouted over to them. Scorpius froze. Albus looked over at the older Malfoy, dressed in his usual formal robes, his wand already at his side.

“Dad?” Scorpius said, finding the words and turning to face him. “Not you too,” it shouldn’t have come out as a plead, but it did. “No, you can’t both go.”

“Scorpius, don’t be silly,” Draco said, his voice not unkind. He wasn’t being silly, Albus thought. He was being rather reasonable. If Albus only had two people he could rely on in this whole entire world, he wouldn’t want them leaving on a dangerous mission across an invaded castle either.

He thought about not going for a split second but remembered the only thing that would get him back would be the knowledge that Scorpius was waiting for him. He knew, right then, that he wouldn’t let anything – not even Delphi bloody Diggory (Riddle? LeStrange?) – get in the way of him and Scorpius. He would go on this raid with his father, he would get what Madame Pomfrey needed and he would return to the arms of his love all in one piece. He would do it for Scorpius.

“I’m not,” Scorpius protested but it came out weak. Albus squeezed his hand and kissed his cheek.

“We’ll come back,” he promised.

“No,” Scorpius protested again, but his words fell short as his boyfriend and father told him they loved him and followed the others’ out the door, leaving him behind.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Picture by: https://secretlydreamingofgansey.tumblr.com/art as usual of my adorable boys <3  
> Comments and kudos welcome! Thank you all for your support so far!


	8. Innocent Lives Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scorpius distracts himself whilst Draco and Albus go on a raid, but things in the Great Hall take a turn for the worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minor Character death - pretty gruesomely too, just a warning!

Scorpius needed to distract himself from his whizzing whirlwind of thoughts.

It had been no longer than half an hour since Albus and his father left on that mission for healing supplies but to Scorpius it felt like a lifetime. He nearly suffered a panic attack in the first five minutes, but Ginny managed to help calm him and the magic tingling on his fingertips. From then, he decided a distraction was best.

They would come back, judging by the odds of things. It wasn’t all that dangerous, but both Albus and Harry Potter – the two people Delphi would want – were out there together. His dad and Albus was all he had left. Losing even one of them was unimaginable. He wished Albus wouldn’t have risked it, especially after Scorpius begged him not to. But then, Scorpius would have let him go if that’s what he really wanted – he wouldn’t be _that boyfriend. Still, it hurt more than he could imagine._

In order to distract himself, he offered his services to Madame Pomfrey. Healing magic was something he could do, something he was good at. As there were students who had been injured that needed attending to that Pomfrey couldn’t always get to, Scorpius was happy to lend a helping hand. She was thankful for his offer and sent him off, telling him to get her if there was something he couldn’t handle.

Scorpius wasn’t the best at healing magic just yet - it was something they didn’t teach much in school. But, he could fix gashes and the odd minor broken bone. He had taught himself when the bullies got physical in his second year. It was a way to avoid the hospital wing for both him and Albus. It was often, during their first few years, that Scorpius would have to mend a broken nose or cheekbone, clean up gashes and stitch them together either on himself or Albus.

“Hey,” he spoke softly, voice lowered in a tone that wouldn’t scare off the second year Gryffindor he approached. The young girl looked up to him, dried blood across her cheek despite her wound being across her wrist. “Mind if I look at that?” Scorpius indicated to her wrist where the blood was mostly dry now. She had come back last night, but Madame Pomfrey was attending to much worse wounds and hadn’t had the chance to look at her yet.

She nodded timidly and held her arm out towards him. Scorpius took it gently in his hand. He cleared the dried blood with a simple spell, so he could get a better look at the wound.

“I’m Scorpius, what’s your name?” He asked as he inspected it. It looked like a gash caused by glass rather than a wand, and he wanted to make sure there were no shards left in it before he bandaged. He didn’t think it needed stitching.

“Nala,” she replied, her voice as timid as her posture.

“That’s a pretty name,” Scorpius complimented, flashing her a smile. She seemed to physically relax. He walked her through what he was doing, and in no time had her bandaged up and clean. He cleaned the blood from her face, too.

“Thank you,” she said once he finished.

“You’re welcome. You can go back to your friends now,” Scorpius said. Nalas’ eyes went sad and she looked at her shoes, scuffing them together.

“I don’t have any friends,” she spoke. Scorpius tried to hide his shocked expression. How could anyone – especially a young, sweet girl – not have any friends? Even Scorpius had Albus. Though, if he never met Albus that first day on the train, he wouldn’t have any friends either.

“At all? What about family?” Nalas’ eyes filled with tears and Scorpius instantly regretted asking the question. However, she swallowed them down and looked at him with sheer determination – a look only ever seen in Gryffindors.

“My sister hasn’t come back yet,” she stated. Scorpius felt his heart break. “We were together, and she got me out but she’s still with her.” ‘Her’ being Delphi, Scorpius guessed. What on Earth did she want with random Hogwarts students? Scorpius set an arm around the girls shoulder and squeezed in a half-hug.

“Come with me,” he said. She nodded, and Scorpius led her over to where Lily was sitting with Avery. They were engaged in what seemed like quite an intense game of wizards chess. The grin on Lily’s face reminded him of Albus and his heart felt heavy. “Lily?”

“Yeah, Scorp?” She answered, not looking up from her game.

“This is Nala, she doesn’t have anyone, and I think it’s always nice to have a friend in these situations, I was wondering if you’d be happy to let her join you guys?” Lily finally looked up from the game. She looked intently at Scorpius to Nala behind her glasses before her face broke out into another wide grin.

“Of course, take a seat. Nala is such a pretty name. I’m Lily and this is Avery. I’m just about to smash her in this game and then we can play something together,” Lily introduced, waving a hand at Avery who smiled sweetly. Nala sat down next to Lily, sending Scorpius a thankful smile. He smiled back before departing, leaving the girls to it.

Feeling triumphant, he moved on to his next patient.

That was when the Great Hall doors burst open, followed by a female voice screaming for help. He recognised it instantly as Cassies’ and sprinted into action, his heart pounding in his chest.

 _Please don’t be Albus. Please don’t be Albus,_ he pleaded as he pushed through the crowds of students. His heart settled slightly when Cassie came into sight, covered in blood and holding Milo Creevey, his sister holding the other side of him.

“Get him over here,” Scorpius insisted, clearing one of the tables that had been left in the hall purely for healing sake. He looked around rapidly for Madame Pomfrey but couldn’t find her. “Cassie, what happened?” He asked once Milo was lying down on the table.

“I don’t know, we were on our way back when we stumbled into them. The others shouldn’t be far behind, but we ran ahead,” her voice was panicked, which only made Scorpius panic more. She was usually the one who stayed calm.

“HELP HIM!” Lara screamed, causing Scorpius to snap his thoughts back to Milo. He approached him, wand at the ready, but any possible incantations died on his tongue. Instead, Scorpius removed the boys’ shirt, revealing red gashes across his chest. There was so much blood. Scorpius took off his hoodie and pressed it over the gashes to stop the bleeding, a muggle way of doing things.

“I need Pomfrey, I don’t know how. Someone get Madame Pomfrey!” He heard footsteps running away.

“Scorpius,” Cassie said, her voice firm. He ignored her in favour of his spiralling thoughts. “Scorpius, look at me,” she scorned, going opposite him so all he had to do was look up. The blood was starting to seep through the hoody now. Albus was going to kill him for ruining it. Scorpius obeyed, looking up at Cassie.

“You are a damn good wizard, okay? You need to start believing in yourself. There’s a reason it’s out of control and that’s because you’re pushing it down. Stop pushing it away and embrace it. Admit you're good and use it to your bloody advantage. You know this stuff, I’ve seen you read advanced healing books well beyond even my year. You know this, you can do it so stop doubting yourself and fix it.”

In that moment, Cassie felt more like an older sister to Scorpius than a friend. She was looking out for him, encouraging him when he felt low. That was something family did, right? She had always been like that, he supposed. From the first day they met she had always acted more like a sister than a friend. They hadn’t known each other long, but Scorpius hoped she’d stay in his life.

“Okay,” he spoke, nodding his head. He removed the hoody and raised his wand, the incantations coming back to him. It took a lot of work, a lot of complicated spell work that he barely knew how to do. But eventually, the wounds started closing up and blood stopped seeping out the gashes. “He needs a blood replenishing potion. Hopefully Madame Pomfrey should have one because if they don’t get here soon, I don’t know how long he’ll last.”

Cassie nodded and took off towards where Scorpius presumed Madame Pomfrey was. She hadn’t come to help him, which meant there was another student in just as much danger. Scorpius’ beating heart had finally calmed slightly, and he took the time to check Milo’s vitals with his wand. He was starting to feel tired, the events of the morning catching up to him. Cassie returned with Pomfrey’s last potion and helped sit Milo up, so he could drink it.

“He should be fine,” he turned to Lara. “But, I’m no professional. Keep an eye on him and I will too.” He gave her his best smile. They may have been awful to him in the past, but that didn’t mean they didn’t deserve to be treated. She smiled gratefully at him before running and wrapping his arms around him. She kissed his cheek.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you.” She repeated over and over. Scorpius recovered from the shock and hugged her back. She pulled away from him, kissing him on the cheek again. “I’m so sorry,” she sobbed. “Even after how horrible we’ve been to you, you’ve still been so kind. I’m sorry we ever wrote those things.”

Scorpius shrugged, unsure exactly on how to handle this situation. “Never judge a book by its cover,” he said, turning around to face Cassie. She then embraced him in a quick hug. He would have to get used to this if more people were going to hug him. He wasn’t usually all that comfortable with touching unless it was Albus.

“That was brilliant, Scorpius.”

“Er, thanks.”

“Seriously, did you ever think about going into healing?” She said, excitedly.

“It’s all I've ever wanted ever since my mum died,” he shrugged. Her expression faltered slightly at the sound of his mum.

“Your mum died?”

“Yeah, when I was thirteen. I thought everybody knew.” Cassie’s shoulders slumped. She shook her head before slowly walking away, like she was facing some internal battle. Scorpius thought about going after her, but there was a light tap on his shoulder than made him stop. He spun on his heels to be face-to-face with Milo.

His stance was slightly hunched over as expected when he experienced a wound as badly as his. There was still dried blood all over him and Scorpius’ hands despite his half-hearted attempt at a cleaning spell. He was feeling too magically drained from the complicated spell work. However, despite his enclosed posture, his wand was pointing right at Scorpius’ chest, a threatening look in his eyes.

Scorpius took a step back.

“Woah, Milo,” Scorpius spoke, raising his hands in surrender. He looked around to find Ginny running over with McGonagall. Scorpius looked back at Milo, his breathing becoming uneven.

There was a look in his eye. A look Scorpius had never seen before on anyone but had read plenty about. His heart plummeted to the floor. He was under the influence of the Imperius curse. Or so, Scorpius hoped he was.

“M-Milo?” He stuttered, but the other boy never dropped his stance.

“They want you,” he spoke, his voice carrying a bitterness he’d never heard before. Milo had never been the friendliest to him, but he had also never raised his wand at him. “They need you.”

“M-me? Who’s they?” Scorpius wanted to raise his own wand but remembered that he was just a boy.

“Delphi and her followers. She needs your power. You need to come with me,” he ordered, stepping closer and pointing his wand to his neck. It was then Scorpius felt the surge of power go through him, sparking his fingertips. It forced it down, desperate to not cause a scene here. There was no guarantee what would happen if it let himself explode. It would not be good.

“And if I don’t?”

Milo cocked his head to the side. “She’ll kill everyone you love,” he spoke with nonchalance.

There was a certain tragedy in loving someone too much. They have a power over you and they can either cherish it or destroy it. Or someone else can destroy it. It was easily done when hearts were so easily broken. Fragile little things hearts were. Scorpius knew he had no choice. He would sooner sacrifice himself than risk hurting or losing Albus or his dad.

“Okay.”

“SCORPIUS!” Albus shouted from across the hall. He caught a glimpse of black hair fighting through the crowd to get to him but didn’t dare look away from Milo. “What the fuck?” Albus cursed, stepping next to Scorpius and placing a hand on his back. Milo switched so his wand was pointing at Albus. Scorpius moved swiftly, pushing Albus behind him and holding him there.

“I said I’ll go. Don’t you dare touch him.”

“Go where?” Albus said behind him and tried to struggle from Scorpius’ firm grip that was holding him there. “You’re not going anywhere,” he continued. Scorpius spun to face him, hoping beyond all hope that others would keep an eye on Milo should he do anything.

“I’m doing this to protect you. She’ll kill you if I don’t go with him, Albus. I can’t live without you,” he pleaded, stroking Albus’ cheeks with his own blood-stained hands.

“And what about me? If she kills you then what happens to me?” Scorpius hadn’t thought about it. Why would he? He was too wrapped up in his own head. But, of course Albus would feel the same. Scorpius hadn’t given himself a second thought, hadn’t bothered to think about what would happen if he died. He assumed people would move on. He assumed they would hurt, but they would get over it. He didn’t think anyone needed him. But, Albus did. He didn’t know and suddenly felt guilty for brushing off his feelings. It only makes sense that Albus couldn’t live without Scorpius either. He assumed because of his large family that Albus would always have someone. But that didn’t matter, did it? Albus felt like an outcast, he was different. That was why Scorpius and Albus found home within each other. They were driven from their own, so they had to make one together.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled.

Behind him, Lara screamed.

Scorpius span just in time to see Milo crumple to the floor, his wand sticking out of his neck. Everything around him seemed to slow. He could hear the voices and screams, but it was like they were behind a _Muffliato_. He could see everyone running but couldn’t process it. All he could see was Milo crumpled on the floor.

He saw red. So much red. Dripping from his neck, pouring like a tap.

Scorpius dropped to his knees, Albus barely caught him.

People surrounded Milo. Madame Pomfrey casting various spells that went right over Scorpius’ head. It was too late. He was already gone. The person Scorpius had just saved was now dead.

He was on his feet and being dragged away by who he assumed was Albus. The world moved in slow motion.

“Scorpius?” The voice was muffled behind his beating heart in his ears. “Scorpius!” It was louder, and Scorpius snapped from his reverie and met eyes with Albus.’

“I want my dad,” Scorpius spoke, but his own voice sounded distant. Albus’ expression faltered to sadness, guilt crossing his beautiful features.

“He’s-” he struggled for words.

“I want my dad,” Scorpius said again, eyes searching the room frantically for the familiar blob on blond hair.

“He’s gone. They took him. We turned our backs for one second and then he and another student were gone,” Albus’ eyes dropped to the floor.

“No. Albus, no. He can’t be! No!” Scorpius screamed, fighting out of Albus’ death-like grip. Albus was stronger and kept him firmly there. But Scorpius wanted to run. Where to exactly he didn’t know. He needed his dad. His dad couldn’t leave him. He was all he had left.

“We’ll find him, Scorpius! I promise,” Albus said, but the words were empty.

“NO!” Scorpius started fighting against him again. “They’re going to kill him, Albus. She’ll kill him. I can’t lose him, I just can’t. Please! Let me go, Albus!” He fought and fought until the exhaustion became too much. Scorpius cried defeatedly and collapsed into Albus. “I can’t lose him, Albus,” he sobbed.

Albus soothed a hand over his hair, shushing quietly in his ear. He tried telling Scorpius everything was okay, but he didn’t believe that for a second. Nothing was okay. Delphi had just threatened the life of everyone he loved and now his dad had been taken by her. He may be strong, but she was stronger. It took all of them to take her down before, there was no way he’d be able to handle her on his own.

Scorpius and Albus collapsed to the floor. Albus kept his arms around Scorpius and refused to let him go. Others joined, Lily, Avery and her new friend Nala. James eventually did, too. Ginny and Harry joined them. For a long time no one spoke. No one knew what to say. Until Harry finally decided to break the ice.

“Someone in here is conspiring with Delphi,” he spoke. Scorpius rolled his eyes. It wasn’t what he wanted to hear. He knew it already, though. Someone had to have been in the room to cast the Imperius curse on Milo. _Milo._ The sixteen-year-old kid who was just killed by his own hand against his will.

“Like who?” James said, a defensive tone.

“Could be anyone,” Harry shrugged. Scorpius stood. He didn’t want to have this conversation. He walked over to the sleeping bag he shared with Albus the night before on wobbly legs and collapsed as soon as he reached it. It was probably getting late again anyway. He pulled the second sleeping bag over him and closed his eyes, desperate for the sweet escape of sleep.

He didn’t sleep, however. Not until a pair of arms wrapped safely around him and legs entwined with his. Albus filled the hole in his weary heart and lulled him softly into a sleep. Scorpius found himself not caring whether he woke up or not.

 

* * *

 

 

Draco Malfoy opened his heavy eyelids, blinded by the sudden light. His head felt whoozy, dizziness encircling him. He struggled to open his eyes, but the blinding panic that swept over him caused him to do so. He looked around the room, the only light coming from the skylight above. He scrambled for his wand but found nothing. Outside there were low voices talking in frantic whispers.

He wasn’t alone. Draco scrambled for a weapon of any kind but came up empty. He couldn’t even identify his surroundings well.

The voices stopped, and the door clicked open. Draco scrambled to his feet, feeling weak. Two girls entered, one with silver and blue hair that he recognised to be Delphi, a wide smirk on her face. The other was a girl he knew but couldn’t quite place. Though he knew he had seen those piercing brown eyes from somewhere.

“Hey daddy, missed me?” She spoke.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT SO FAR!  
> Picture by: https://secretlydreamingofgansey.tumblr.com/art of Albus holding Scorpius back when he finds out about his dad.


	9. Fire and Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scorpius refused to sit around and wait, he needed to find his father. Of course, Albus wouldn't let him go alone.

She sighed, tossing her long hair behind her back, making yet another mental note to cut it as soon as possible.

“We need him,” Delphi said, turning to face the only other person in the room.

“Who?” She asked, stupidly.

“Your brother.”

“Don’t call him that.”

“Why not?” Delphi spat, getting tired of her presence. “You just marched in there calling Draco Malfoy ‘daddy’, that makes the other Malfoy spawn your brother. That, and blood.”

The girl rolled her eyes, placing her hands on her hips. “Getting Scorpius won’t be easy,” she stated, ignoring Delphi’s earlier comment.

“And neither was breaking out of Azkaban, I still did that.”

“How then?” Now, she crossed her arms.

“Easy. Lure him out by telling him we have his dad and then threaten him. With him, we’ll also get Albus.”

“Albus is useless.”

“Maybe, but his name isn’t. With a Malfoy as powerful as you claim Scorpius to be and a Potter on our side, we’d be indestructible.”

She could see it now, the four of them holding the world in their hands. They’d be infinitely powerful. Everyone would fall to their feet and not because she used the killing curse on them. They would worship them. And she’d made her father proud.

 

* * *

 

 

_Blood._

_Trailing down the side of his neck and pooling onto the floor._

_Blood._

_All over his hands as he tried to stop the flow._

_Scarlet red pooling around his feet._

_Scarlet red soaking his clothes._

_Blood. Everywhere._

_Everywhere._

_He was dead, dead, dead. The poor boy had killed himself._

_Cold._

_He felt cold._

_And hot._

_He was on fire._

_And there was blood._

_Fire and blood._

_Dead._

_He watched the body fall._

_Like a tower of cards._

_Floating, floating, floating._

_Until he crashed onto the tiles._

_Blood._

_Blood poured everywhere._

_His heart had stopped._

_The blood drained from his body._

_Dead._

_Dead._

_Dead._

 

Scorpius woke in a cold sweat. The images of his nightmares clouding his vision. It was a blur of red and black. A blur of blood and darkness. Of fire and blood. Of fear.

He felt the magic tingling at his fingertips, desperate to be aired. He sat up, untangling himself from Albus. It must have been early in the morning, no one else was awake. He looked at Albus, searching for any signs that he had hurt him during his raging nightmares. Upon initial assessment, he seemed fine. Scorpius let himself take a deep breath.

His frustratingly ran his hands through his hair, leaving his fingers linked with the ends and tugged slightly. The pain running through his scalp settled his racing thoughts and cleared his vision. He took another deep breath and shook himself, eyes flicking around the room for any other signs of life. No one else was awake.

He searched for the familiar blond hair of his father before remembering the events of the previous day, his heart going heavy.

Scorpius stood, dragging his feet along the floor as he walked over to the heavy double doors. The Aurors’ on the night shift eyed him warily, but Scorpius stopped at the spot where everything happened the previous day. He had no idea what they did with Milo’s body. Everything following his death was a complete blur. He barely remembered anything apart from Albus’ arms around him and Albus telling him his father never made it back.

_His father._

Where was he?

As much as he didn’t want to believe it, his father was as good as dead. That’s what she promised: she’d kill those he loved the most. He loved a total of three people; only two of those were still alive. One, if Delphi had gotten her hands on his father.

“Scor?” It was Albus’ voice that cut through his thoughts. He didn’t think he woke him, but sure enough he was standing behind him. He never moved, but Albus did. He approached on silent footsteps. If it was anyone else, Scorpius would never have heard them approach. But, this was Albus. He could _feel_ him. He always knew when Albus was around because his heart always felt lighter, his body felt warmer.

“Sickle for your thoughts?” Albus whispered, coming up behind him and wrapping his arms around his waist and resting his chin on Scorpius’ shoulder.

“Milo’s dead because of me and my dad probably is too,” Scorpius responded, his voice void of emotion. He was tired of feeling. And right now, all he felt was numb. He couldn’t process anything, not even emotion because nothing mattered. Nothing mattered as long as his dad was gone. The only thing that mattered was Albus, and Albus was here. So, nothing else mattered. Especially himself.

“That’s not true.”

“I could have saved them both.”

“How?”

Scorpius stuttered. _How?_ He didn’t know. He didn’t know how. He just knew he could have. One way or another, he could have.

Scorpius’ silence must have said everything because Albus piped up. “Exactly,” he said, not unkindly. “You can’t blame yourself, it’ll eat you alive.”

“You blame everything that happened last year on yourself no matter what I tell you. It wasn’t your fault. You never believe it. I guess now I know how you feel.”

Scorpius shuffled around under the grip of Albus, so they were chest to chest. Scorpius hugged him deeply, burying his head in his neck. He wanted desperately to cry, but it seemed no tears wanted to flow. It had been like that after his mother died for a while. He couldn’t cry or mourn her, not properly. It wasn’t until the first day back at school – weeks after her death – that Scorpius cried for the first time. Seeing everyone else’s mum wave them off to school made the reality settle in his mind. She was gone. And never coming back. Scorpius cried for nearly three days straight.

Albus held him tight, sensing what Scorpius needed most. He held him as if holding him could glue all his broken pieces back together. One of his hands was rubbing up and down Scorpius’ back, the other tracing circles on his shoulder.

“Come back to bed,” Albus whispered in his ear. Scorpius nodded against him and let Albus lead him back over to their sleeping bags. They settled back down, but Scorpius knew sleep was a faraway dream.

They lay on their sides, chest to chest with arms wrapped around each other and legs entwined. Scorpius buried his head in Albus, and the overwhelming urge he felt to cry earlier finally erupted. Scorpius let himself sob into Albus’ chest, soaking the tears that streamed down his face.

_Like the blood that streamed down Milo’s neck._

“I don’t want to do this anymore,” Scorpius cried, pulling Albus closer. He was painfully aware of how loud his sobs were, but he couldn’t silence them. They were erupting from him like a volcano, shaking his breath and pounding his heart. He was sure he was about to pass out. Lying here, Scorpius remembered his dream: all the blood and fire and death. Death was all around. Someone had died in this room and it was his fault.

It was all his fault.

Milo was dead.

His father was missing.

He could hear Lara’s screams as he collapsed to the floor.

He could hear his own sobs as Albus told him about his dad.

He was reliving an event over and over in his mind that he was desperate to forget. He wanted to forget. Forget it. Please. Forget.

“Do what?” Albus finally replied, snapping Scorpius from his thoughts. Though the red remained in his vision. He closed his eyes, squeezing them shut tight to try and shut out the thoughts.

“Anything,” he responded, exhausted. “It hurts too much, and I can’t breathe, and I don’t want to. I can’t. I need him. I need my mum. I need you.”

“I’m right here.”

Scorpius sat up abruptly, a thought occurring to him. Albus warily followed his actions, sitting up too.

“What would you say if I asked you to come find him with me?” Scorpius said, turning to face Albus, his face enlightened with hope. It was the first time he felt like there was a possibility in saving his dad – that is if he could be saved. The Aurors’ weren’t doing anything. Scorpius would have to take action. Losing his dad wasn’t an option. He needed both he and Albus if he had any chance at living a happy life.

“I’d say you were crazy,” Albus replied, uncertainty shadowing his tone.

“What if I told you I was going to do it anyway?” He didn’t want to do it without him, but he would if needed. Albus would be safer here anyway.

“I’d tell you I’m coming with. There’s no way you’re facing Delphi on your own,” his eyes were still clouded with worry, but there was also a fire in his eyes: determination. “What’s the plan?”

Scorpius’ hopeful look faded into nothingness. He didn’t have a plan. He didn’t think he’d get this far. He claimed he could do it without Albus, but in reality he knew he couldn’t leave him behind. He needed him. Scarily.

There was a vulnerability in the way Scorpius needed Albus. It was like he couldn’t function without him. There was a part of him – and he would never admit this out loud – that knew he could continue living without his dad. It would be incredibly hard, almost unbearable, but plausible. It could be done. He would eventually move on. He knew he would outlive his dad – most children did. Then, he never expected to lose both his parents by fifteen. It would be hard, but he could do it. Albus, however. There was no living without Albus. He’d done that once before and the only thing keeping him going was the knowledge that he could bring him back. But, there’s no bringing people back from the dead. If he ever lost Albus, he’d lose himself, too. He couldn’t live. He wouldn’t want to. Maybe if he lost his dad he’d lose himself, too. Maybe Scorpius should have learned to live for himself. But, he couldn’t. He was not worth anything. Albus and his dad were worth everything.

“You don’t have a plan do you?” Albus asked, incredulous. Scorpius shamefully shook his head. “Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, the boy who plans everything down to what he’ll have for breakfast and how much he needs to study each day with a very detailed timetable, hasn’t planned something?” The hint of sarcasm in his voice was welcoming. It made Scorpius remember that the world wasn’t a completely dark, horrible place. The world could laugh too.

“I-” Scorpius started, but came up short for a defence.

“We don’t even know where they are.”

“They want me, right? That’s what Mi- he said. So, I’m sure they’ll find us sooner or later. Besides, think about it. They have to be close to the castle, but as far as we’re aware they aren’t in it. So, where’s next?” Scorpius’ brain felt like it could work again. It wasn’t just full of blood and fire, it was functioning. The wheels were turning. It felt welcoming.

“Hogsmeade?” Albus asked, uncertainly.

“Exactly. Where’s the one place they could hide in Hogsmeade?”

“The Shrieking Shack.”

“Bingo.”

“But, that doesn’t make sense,” Albus began, confusing Scorpius. “We just figured that out in two seconds. Why has no one else?”

Scorpius considered this for a moment. “Because they’re looking in the wrong place?”

“We have Aurors here, people who do this shit for a living. Either they aren’t very good at their job, or we’re wrong.”

“I don’t know,” Scorpius responded, chewing on his bottom lip. “Someone must though. Lara maybe? Or other students who escaped?”

“We can’t just investigate Lara, her brother just died. And that’s another question, who cast Imperius on him?” Scorpius looked down and shrugged. He didn’t want to talk about Milo. Didn’t want to think about him. He wanted to go back in time and save him – an irony considering he knew the consequences of doing so.

“Could be anyone.”

Instinctively, both boys looked around to take in their surroundings, suddenly suspicious of everyone. Scorpius looked over each and every one of Albus’ family members – he knew it wasn’t them – out of concern. His gaze danced over Lily – thirteen yet unwavering in the face of danger. Over Rose – kind despite the hell she’d put him through over the years, she had spent her days looking after younger students who were scared. Over Fred – who spent his time burying his fear with jokes to make others laugh. Over James – who put himself out there everyday to help end this war.

"Where's...?" Scorpius cut himself off.

"Who?"

"Never mind," he shrugged it off. She'd be around somewhere.

He saw Nala, cuddled up between Lily and Avery, finally with a look of content in her sleep. He wondered if all of them would make it out alive, or if they would all share the same fate as Milo.

It was ironic, he thought, wanting to be a healer. It was all he ever wanted ever since he was a young boy, desperate to save his mother. He failed. He fixed up Nala and many other students, but would he soon fail them too? He fixed up Milo, only for him to die a few moments later. He failed him too. It seemed danger and death followed him. He was like a bad omen.

Maybe healing wasn’t for him.

Maybe there was too much darkness in his heart. Too much darkness in his mind. Too much darkness in his life. In his family heritage. In his magic.

His magic.

Uncontrollable yet powerful.

He had learnt how to control it and it had become considerably easier, but there were still moments he felt it wanted to explode. It wanted to destroy, ravage, burn. It wanted everything that Scorpius did not. Scorpius wanted to use his magic for good: for healing. His magic wanted to burn the world in a kaleidoscope of orange and yellow. It was power hungry.

It was everything he knew could be. It was everything he desperately tried to bury.

Scorpius stood, fed up of sitting around any longer. He needed out of here, for sure he would explode soon enough. He fumbled around in the dark, finding his hoody (the blood-stained one that Ginny cleaned for him) and pulled it over it. He slipped on his shoes and turned to Albus.

“Coming?” He asked. Albus looked at him for a moment, as if trying to decipher if he was being serious or not, then nodded. It slipped on his own hoody and shoes, then checked his pocket for his wand. Scorpius did the same. Once equipped, they did a quick sweep to make sure everyone around was still sleeping.

Slowly and quietly, they approached the Aurors guarding the room. With a quick Confundus charm, they managed to slip past and into the Entrance Hall. Scorpius grabbed Albus’ hand and pulled him in the direction of Hogsmeade. They might not be there, but it was a start.

 

* * *

 

 

They thought the war was over. But it was only just beginning. Voldemort may be dead. But, his daughter was rising to the occasion. Alongside her was Draco Malfoys’ abandoned daughter and soon his son would join. They would take on the world by storm. They would destroy it together.

The world was split into good and evil. It wasn’t a choice people made, it was just within them. They couldn’t stop it if even if they tried.

Albus had already shown signs of the evil within him – the Slytherin Potter who held so much angst for someone so young. He was vengeful. He wanted to prove himself, and what better way to do it than showing his power? Albus wanted to show he was nothing like his family, there was no better way to do that than join the dark side. The evil inside him was there, it was ready to take over. With time, he would be able to embrace it.

Scorpius, on the other hand, would be more difficult. The evil resided in his bones, blood and magic. It was there, ready to explode when prompted. It was there, but he wanted to bury it. He wanted to be good. Getting someone to believe he was evil was hard when they wanted to be good. But, soon he would embrace it too. He would realise that evil was born into him. Evil was a part of him. There was no escaping it. With great power came great responsibility. He had great power, he just needed someone to tell him how to exercise it properly.

There was another thing that linked them to each other: revenge.

Delphi wanted to avenge her father by getting revenge on the world. She wanted to burn everyone who ever wronged him and her. She built up her rage over the years, ready to detonate on those who stood against him. Those who helped kill him. The time would come soon.

Malfoys’ daughter wanted revenge over her parents. She wanted to make them regret ever giving her up and keeping her brat of a brother. She never understood what was wrong with her. Why she couldn’t grow up in the walls of the Manor with a little brother and loving parents. Why did Scorpius get what she wanted? What made him more special than her? Revenge against her parents rang through her blood. She was ready to burn everyone who ever wronged her.

Albus wanted revenge on Delphi. He was angry at her, yes. But that was easy to change. She would just have to make him realise there was more important things to be angry at. She only wanted to meet her father, there was a childhood innocence about that. Albus would realise that and join their side. If Scorpius did, then Albus would blindly follow.

Scorpius would never admit to being vengeful. But, he was. Mainly against himself. How could you get revenge on yourself? Scorpius would surely find a way. But once he knew his parents had lied to him his entire life, had hidden a sister from him, the desire for revenge would shift. Like his sister, he would crave revenge over his parents, and shifting that revenge to the rest of the world would be easy. After all, the world has never been kind to him.

In hindsight, they looked like a bunch of misfits with daddy issues. In reality, they would be powerful. They would get their revenge. The world would burn around them.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drawing by: https://secretlydreamingofgansey.tumblr.com/  
> I'm sorry, I've become obsessed with Scorpius having a sister and have no regrets writing this :')  
> Thank you all for the lovely comments so far, means the world to me!


	10. Eyes Like Hers.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scorpius and Albus set out to find Draco and Delphi and discover something much more shocking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only four chapters to go after this! Hope you're all still with me :')

“When did it turn so cold?” Albus asked, his voice whispered. Scorpius struggled to hear him over the thrash of the wind that whipped around them. He huddled closer to Albus, hoping his body warmth would give him some comfort.

Their walk down to Hogsmeade had been one of ease so far. They avoided the Aurors guarding the school mostly successfully, aside from the one who caught them, and they had to run as fast as they could. Outrunning an Auror was easy when you were a kid – kids could run faster naturally and go for longer. They also hid around a corner and he stupidly ran past them like in a ridiculous muggle movie.

Since their exit of the castle, the world seemed to get _darker._ The clouds formed together, all black and daunting, so there was no chance of the sun creeping through. September wasn’t a cold month, but it seemed the world was responding to the events of the wizarding community. It seemed that wherever Delphi went, grey clouds followed.

Scorpius shrugged, clenching Albus’ hand tighter. He didn’t dare let go. His nerves seemed to ignite something in him, his magic swirling around his fingers. It was a different sensation to how his magic had been reacting to him previously. Before it was an angry, furious, all-consuming power that threatened everything and everyone. It was nerve-racking, terrifying. It felt out of control. It felt dangerous.

This was different. This was almost protective. His magic was comforting. It was swarming around him, lights of gold and silver bursting through his bloodstream screaming over and over the same thing: _I got you. You’ll be fine._

It settled his nerve. As did the hand holding onto his.

“Scor?” Albus asked, noticing his eerie silence. Usually Scorpius hated the silence, but now he was all too consumed in his own thoughts to even think about speaking.

“Hmm?”

“You okay?” Scorpius nodded as he stepped over a large boulder. They had taken a different way to Hogsmeade. The obvious trial used by Hogwarts students would have been a much too obvious route. They’d be found by the Aurors in seconds.

There was no doubt their absence had been noted by now. He could imagine Harry Potters’ rampage around the Great Hall, screaming for someone to find his son. He was probably already leading the raid. Scorpius was kind of glad he didn’t have to put his dad through that. The thought quickly disappearing when he remembered the potentially dangerous situation his dad was now in.

 _Just be alive,_ Scorpius begged a higher power. _Please be bloody alive._

“Are you okay?” Scorpius asked after a far too long pause. Albus jumped at the sound of his sudden voice and turned to look at Scorpius. Scorpius looked back at him. The nerves were evident in his eyes. Scorpius could tell he was trying to hide how he really felt. His lips formed a tight line and his eyebrows were slightly furrowed. His eyes though – those damn captivating eyes – showed all his vulnerability.

Albus was scared.

“I’m fine,” he brushed off, blinking a couple of times before looking away. Scorpius kept his gaze on him, before tripping up a loose rock causing him to stumble. The only thing stopping his fall was Albus, who grabbed him with his free hand and halted his descent to the floor.

“I’m not,” Scorpius admitted, looking at Albus again. Albus deflated slightly and started chewing nervously on his bottom lip – a habit he’d picked up on from Scorpius. Scorpius ran a light thumb over his lips, breaking them away from his teeth. “I’m scared. I don’t know what we’ll find, and I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Truth was, Scorpius didn’t give a rats ass what happened to him. In this battle, Scorpius didn’t matter. He didn’t matter now, and he never would. Not to himself and not to the world. He was a cursed child – the moment he was born he was forced to face a reality he never wanted. His parents always called him ‘their little miracle’, but Scorpius always felt far from that. He felt like second best. He felt like he could never be enough.

He never knew where the insecurities came from. They had always been there, buried deep. He knew he was loved, that was obvious. But being called a miracle felt far from reality. He was no miracle. Miracles were born to be heroes. Miracles were born to be free. Scorpius, however, was trapped. Trapped in a life of hatred, in a body he didn’t want, in a family that scorned him for being different. Weren’t good things supposed to happen to miracles? The only good thing that ever happened to him was Albus. Now, he was at risk of losing him – again.

“I won’t, as long as you’re by my side I can do anything. _We_ can do anything.” He said it with so much assertion that Scorpius found himself believing it. He could do it – whatever _it_ was – as long as Albus was with him.

They started their quest down to Hogsmeade once again, hand-in-hand and ready to face whatever the world was going to throw at them. It was a childish optimism, something they knew grew from their young minds and hearts. But, it was all they had to kept them going, so they held onto it.

When the dim lights of Hogsmeade faded into view, Scorpius could feel Albus’ growing nervous again. His palm was sweaty against his and if Scorpius wasn’t holding so tight, he would have been shaking.  

A chill settled in the air – and not one caused by the brutal wind. The hairs on the back of his neck pricked, sending shivers down his back. Thoughts of his mum swirled around his brain, ones of her dying in her bed at home struggling through her last breaths.

The air around them was sucked of any warmth.

Darkness fought the light and won, casting shadows over them.

Scorpius came to a halt, stopping Albus with him. He knew what was happening. He knew what caused the sudden melancholy. He’d felt it before. The sadness. The darkness. The cold. A shiver ran down his spine and he clasped Albus’ hand tighter. Albus turned to him, a look of confusion written over his features.

“Dementors,” Scorpius explained, then spun around to try and spot them. They were close. How close, he didn’t know. But close. There was no running, they’d have to fight. The problem was: neither of them knew how to fight.

“Where?” Albus asked, stepping closer to Scorpius as though his body could shield him from the soul-sucking creatures. Scorpius only wished that was enough.

“Close. Do you know how to conjure a Patronus?” Scorpius asked, his heartbeat increasing every second.

“I know the spell, but I’ve never done it successfully before,” Albus explained. Scorpius wasn’t looking at him, but he could feel the look of hopelessness written across his face. Scorpius swallowed and withdrew his wand, holding it steady in his left hand. Albus had to release their hands to hold his own and Scorpius felt the break in connection instantly.

“Stay close,” Scorpius said, and he did. Albus pressed his back against Scorpius’. “Think of something happy. I’ve never done a corporeal before, but the closest I’ve ever come have been with thoughts of you. Of us.” His wand hand was beginning to shake.

“You’re scared,” Albus guessed, though it was a statement, not a question.

“They’re awful creatures, Albus.” Out the corner of his eyes, Scorpius saw a flicker of black. He turned to it, raising his wand.

_Albus._

_Think about Albus._

_Of his smile when you tell him something dorky._

_The way his eyes light up when you tell him you love him._

_How he talks so passionately about something he loves and his lips quirk into a smile and his dimple._

_His damn adorable dimple that makes you weak at the knees._

_Think of how he makes you feel._

_Happy – no, elated. In love. Strong. Brave. Courageous._

_Think about all of that. Hold on to the feeling it gives you. Hold on to that happiness and let it overtake the pain._

“Expecto Patronum,” he heard Albus’ shout behind him, his voice full of determination. Scorpius couldn’t see him, but from the stutter of a swear word that came from his lips next, he guessed he was unsuccessful.

The dementors were gaining on them, black cloaks floating through the air. Scorpius tried to focus his mind, to push away the darkness they were making him feel. He closed his eyes and let thoughts of Albus swirl around his brain, then muttered: “Expecto Patronum.”

A feeling of relief followed. When Scorpius opened his eyes, there was his Patronus. A raven taking flight towards the oncoming black shadows, joined seconds later by a sprinting wolf. Scorpius’ raven flew circles around the wolf before shooting off towards the dementor gaining on Albus. The raven drove away the dementors on Albus’ side whilst the wolf guarded Scorpius.

It was strange, but Scorpius never had time to think why it was Albus’ Patronus protecting him and his own protecting Albus. Instead, he grabbed Albus’ hand and ran towards the open gap, hoping their Patronus’ could hold them off and drive them away until they were safe. The further from the dementors they got, the lighter Scorpius felt. He felt overall happier, despite the air not quite reaching his lungs.

Scorpius finally stopped, deeming them far enough away. He pulled Albus behind a tree a leaned up it himself, throwing his head back to try and catch his breath. Albus leaned against him equally exhausted. When Scorpius felt like his lungs weren’t going to explode, he finally spoke.

“You did it,” he praised, proud of Albus for producing a Patronus. It was very difficult magic and for someone who has never attempted it before, he did brilliantly. Albus often struggled with charms and a Patronus was the most difficult one. “That was amazing,” Scorpius said, wrapping his arms around Albus and kissing the crown of his head. Albus chuckled against his chest, the sort of manic chuckle that came with surviving something they probably shouldn’t have survived, and much easier than they ever expected.

“You were amazing,” Albus said, pulling his head from Scorpius’ chest to look at him. His eyes were wild with exhilaration, lit up with adrenaline. His lips formed a manic grin that made his skin crinkle around his eyes. He looked incredibly beautiful. Scorpius had to fight the urge to push him against a tree and snog his face off; they were on a mission, after all.

Scorpius shook his head as though that could shake the thoughts from his mind. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered, unable to stop the thoughts. Maybe it was the impending doom or the previous danger. Maybe it was the adrenaline running through his blood. Or maybe it was just the love enchantment Albus held over him, but Scorpius couldn’t help press his lips to Albus’.

Albus seemed just as eager and kissed Scorpius back just as fiercely. Albus wrapped his arms around Scorpius’ neck, pulling him impossibly closer and playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. Scorpius’ ends were running up and down Albus’ back underneath his hoody, pressing their bodies so close that not even wind could slip through.

“Are you two nearly done?”

The voice sent a shiver down Scorpius’ back. He barely heard it over the whipping wind, that even the absence of dementors hadn’t calmed. Albus and Scorpius slowly pulled away from each other, drawing their wands. Scorpius resisted the urge to step in front of Albus to protect him, and Albus looked like he was resisting the same urge to step in front of Scorpius.

“Finally.”

Delphi stood with her shoulders back and head held high. If she was threatened by their wands pointing at her she didn’t show it. Scorpius grabbed hold of Albus’ hand, thanking the world he was left-handed and Albus was right-handed. Albus seemed thankful of the touch too and squeezed Scorpius’ hand.

“You were looking for me, right?” Delphi asked, stepping forward towards them.

“Technically, I was looking for my dad,” Scorpius replied, unsure of where the confidence in his voice came from. He had a strange feeling that it had something to do with the boy holding his hand.

“What is it with your family and being obsessed with your dad?” She quizzed. Scorpius narrowed his eyes in confusion, lowering his wand slightly.

“M-my family?” He stuttered, then cursed himself for the apprehension in his voice. Albus sent him a side-eyed glance, but other than that remained passive.

“Oh, you don’t know?” She cackled. It was the kind of laugh that told Scorpius she knew that he had no idea what she was talking about.

“Is he alive or what, Delphi?” Albus asked, cutting the bullshit.

She stopped laughing. “He’s alive. Want to see for yourself?”

Scorpius knew he should try and run. His dad was alive, they could tell the Aurors they saw Delphi and where they saw her, and they could carry on this investigating. He knew that was the rational solution, but then he also knew there was no rational way out of this. He knew they couldn’t run. They were surrounded: by Delphi, by dementors. There was no escaping. So, Scorpius nodded.

“I do. I also want to know what you want with me.”

Delphi smiled, the crude, cruel smile Scorpius had grown to associate with her. She stepped towards them, gesturing them to lower their wands. Scorpius did and Albus glanced at Scorpius before lowering it too.

“You’ll find out, soon,” she said before grabbing them both and disappearing with pop.

A wave of vertigo flushed over Scorpius as they landed. He curled over, clutching his stomach as he let the dizziness pass. Apparition was his least favourite type of travel. Albus was on him in a second to make sure he was okay. Scorpius felt the relief instantly that Albus was still around.

When the sickness passed, Scorpius finally looked up. They were in what looked like an abandoned pub. The windows were boarded up from the inside, a tiny bit of light shining through a couple of holes in the wood. There was a musky smell to the air, and particles of dust floating through evident from the little light shining in. Scorpius spun on his feet, hoping to catch sight of his fathers’ blond hair, but it seemed he and Albus were the only occupants in the room. Delphi was nowhere to be seen.

“Dad?” Scorpius called, breaking from Albus to search the large room. He looked behind big beams that separated the room, behind the abandoned bar but came up empty. His father wasn’t here. Delphi had lied to him.

“Scor,” Albus called, grabbing Scorpius’ attention. He looked to Albus who was indicating to a set of stairs. He pointed up, then gestured for him to come over. Scorpius did, light on his feet when Albus put a finger to his lips to tell him to be quiet.

There were voices coming from upstairs, talking low and hurriedly in hushed whispers. Scorpius couldn’t make out either voice, but guessed one was Delphi. He leaned closer but deciphering the voices seemed to become harder. He shrugged at Albus and gave up, wandering off to search for a way out.

Strangely, he didn’t feel trapped. He tapped his hand against his jeans to find his wand still there. They could get out fairly easily. It didn’t seem anyone was trying to keep them there.

A loud banging startled Scorpius, causing him to jump what seemed like a mile. Albus was at his side in a second, wand raised. There was a knocking – a rather vicious knocking – coming from the door that seemed boarded up. Scorpius went to creep closer, but Albus pulled his hand to stop him from advancing.

“DELPHI?” A voice sounded from the other side - a female. Scorpius and Albus shared a worried glance. Delphi huffed as she descended the stairs from where she’d been talking to someone else. As she entered the barren room, she looked at them, rolled her eyes and crossed swiftly over the door. It was boarded up, but with a swift flick of her wand it moved aside. The girl fell into the room when the door swung open, landing harshly on her knees.

“Shouting my name like that is bound to give us away, you blabbering idiot,” Delphi scolded and the girl scrambled to her knees.

“Lara?” Albus gasped when the girl moved her hair from her face. It was, in fact, Lara Creevey. The girl who hugged Scorpius when he saved her brother, only to have her screams fill the Great Hall moments later when he stabbed his wand into his neck.

“You promised you wouldn’t kill him!” Lara screamed, her eyes alight with fire. Delphi never so much as flinched. Her stance was unwavering, her expression bored.

“I promise a lot of things, I can’t remember them all,” she replied with a tone similar to her expression.

“He was my brother!”

“Be thankful it was him and not you.” Delphi crossed the room back to Albus and Scorpius, seemingly bored with that conversation. Lara, however, was far from done. Somehow though, her fight turned to Scorpius – no one could fight with Delphi.

“This is your fault,” she sprinted across the room, pulling her wand and holding it to his neck. Scorpius backed off into a corner, wondering how – for the second time in less than twenty-four hours – he’d managed to have two wands pointed at him. “He was obsessed with you and he wouldn’t stop! If you never existed we would never have gotten into this mess. He thought he could gain your attention this way.”

“Lara, I’m sorry I couldn’t save him,” Scorpius said, unsure of what she meant exactly and found the best route would to just apologise.

“Save him? You could never save him! He was dead the moment he met you,” she had lowered her wand in favour of screaming in his face.

“I don’t understand,” Scorpius replied.

“He was in love with you!” She screamed. Scorpius’ face muddled into confusion, the same expression he shared with Albus when he glanced at him. If Milo Creevey really loved him, he sure had a funny way of showing it. “And he thought joining Delphi would get you to finally notice him and it did! And it got him killed and it’s your fault!” Scorpius wasn’t sure how it was but seeing the look in her eye – one of pure sorrow and hurt, it made him feel guilty anyway.

“Well, I’m sorry for ever being born,” he sighed, deflated. Lara backed down upon hearing the hurt in his tone. Albus stepped forward, a hand flying up to his shoulder in comfort. The worst part is, Scorpius knew a part of him meant it.

His birth had caused many issues apparently: it killed his mum in the long run; it made the wizarding community apprehensive towards the Malfoy family due to the rumours; it caused Delphi to escape from Azkaban for whatever reason; it was probably the reason why his dad had been kidnapped; it was the reason why Harry Potter tried to separate him from Albus. All because he was born. He was cursed from birth. A cursed child.

“You should be,” the voice never came from Lara or Delphi or Albus, it came from upstairs. An eloquent sound, travelling down the stairs and circling the room. “A lot of people have suffered because you were born,” she continued. “You killed Astoria, you killed Craig, you killed Milo,” she listed off everyone’s death Scorpius had ever felt guilty for, as though she knew his very thoughts.

“You’re a disappointment to your family despite your incredible power,” the voice was getting closer. Scorpius thought he recognised it, but his mind was running at hundred miles an hour – too fast to place it.

“And worst of all: you replaced me,” her voice sounded distant, like her mind was away with the fairies. A tall girl stepped out from the closed-off staircase, emerging from the shadows. Her long blonde hair – a shade almost the same as Scorpius’ - curled around her shoulders. Scorpius gasped as he met her eyes – eyes so familiar he wandered how he never saw them sooner. He had only seen that shade and shape once before, an elegant brown with grey circling the irises. He should have known. He should have made the connection weeks ago when he first saw them. For how could he ever forget his mothers’ eyes?

“Cassie?” He whispered, so quietly only Albus heard. He was stunned in place. Why was she here? Why was she working with Delphi? Is that why she’d been around so much?

“How did he replace you?” Albus asked, stepping in front of Scorpius and asking the question he couldn’t speak himself.

“You don’t know?” She directed herself at Scorpius. Scorpius shook his head. “You’re my little brother, Scorpius.”

_No. It can’t be._

“Impossible,” he managed, but his mind was reeling. His thoughts were driving him crazy. His breathing started increasing, his heartbeat hammering in his ears. He gripped onto Albus, desperate for him to act as an anchor. Albus seemed to understand his silent plea and wrap an arm around his waist.

“It’s true,” she stepped closer now, the kind, nurturing side coming out that Scorpius had seen since the day he met her. _It wasn’t all an act then,_ he scolded in his head. She came closer and placed a hand on his shoulder. “We’re family Scorpius.”

“M-mum and dad, w-would never give a child… up,” he managed through staggered gasps.

“Well, they did. I wish we could have grown up together. Growing up I always wanted a little brother,” she smiled at him, but Scorpius found nothing comforting in the gesture. He had always wanted a sibling, had wished for one every single night. If he had known that this is how it would have happened, he would have stopped wishing. Be careful what you wish for.

“Prove it,” he stuttered, finally catching his breath and finding his courage. “I want my dad to confirm this, where is he?”

“Fine, we’ll ask Draco. He’s upstairs. Come,” she turned to Delphi and they shared a moment of silent communication before Delphi nodded. Without another word the two disappeared up the stairs, followed shortly by Lara and finally Albus and Scorpius.

Albus kept a firm grip on Scorpius’ hand as they ascended the creaky stairs. The little light coming from downstairs never quite reached the staircase and hallways and they were mostly in darkness. Albus’ thumb ran across his knuckles, a gentle reminder that he’s still there and isn’t going anywhere. Scorpius squeezed his hand in response.

The girls stopped outside a wooden door, one that looked like it hasn’t been used in years. In fact, the whole place looks like it’s been abandoned for years. Delphi and Cassie shared a hushed conversation before Delphi stepped into the room. Scorpius couldn’t hear what happening on the other side. Cassie turned to him, sending him a sweet smile. It only sent a shiver down his spine.

After a few moments, Delphi returned. She opened the door and gestured for everyone else to continue. Scorpius swallowed and followed them in.

Inside was a small room, barely enough to house a single person. There was no furniture aside from a desk on one side and small, lumpy mattress on the other accompanied by a thin blanket. On top of the mattress, sat crossed legged, was his father.

“Dad!” Scorpius yelled, detaching himself from Albus and pushing himself past the girls to fall to his knees at his fathers’ side. He instantly started checking him for injuries. “Are you okay? They didn’t hurt you did they?” He wasn’t tied up, and his hands came to rest on Scorpius’ cheeks.

“I’m fine, my son,” he whispered, stroking his cheeks. He hadn’t been gone long – no more than a day – but he already looked drained. He looked like he was dying.

“Dad, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, Scorpius,” he was lying. Scorpius could tell. He hardly ever lied, and the only time he would was when he would play Poker against him. His tell wasn’t easy to find, but Scorpius eventually sought it out. He would chew the inside of his lip so subtly that it was difficult to notice at first.

Instead of pushing him, though, Scorpius just nodded.

“Did you want to tell your _beloved_ son why you gave me up, or shall I?” Cassie spat, the word ‘beloved’ falling from her tongue like poison.

“We never gave you up, Cassiopeia-”

“So it’s true then?” Scorpius interrupted Draco’s protest. “She’s my sister”? Draco looked up him, his grey eyes tired, and nodded.

Scorpius felt a wave a betrayal surge through him. But, it wasn’t for him. It was for Cassie. Cassie had been betrayed by her own family. Given up and why? And why would his parents hide this from him all this time? All his life he’d been referred to as a miracle, and now he was discovering that he wasn’t a miracle after all. He hadn’t been the first-born Malfoy, which meant that he wasn’t anything. He was second best. He wasn’t a miracle, he was an alternative.

Scorpius stood and backed away from his dad, feeling the betrayal for himself this time. He had been lied to his entire life by his parents. By his dad. By his _mum._

“I-I don’t understand,” he stuttered, tears rising in his eyes and threatening to spill.

“Cassie was born two years before you, but the Ministry was all over me like flies and your mother was weak from the childbirth. They deemed us unfit as parents and took Cassie away from us. She was put into a care home, where she was later adopted, though I’m not sure who by.”

“The Rowles,” Cassie explained, stepping closer to Scorpius. A part of him wanted to wrap her in a hug, show her all the love she’d been deprived of over the years. “That’s how I met Delphi. We were raised together as children. When my Hogwarts letter came, they gave me the option of choosing my last name. They said I could have Malfoy, because they never hid where I was from, I could have Rowle, or I could choose my own. I chose my own."

“But, why Kingsley?” Scorpius asked.

“There was a book I used to read as a child and the main character was called Kingsley, so I chose that.” It was such an innocent explanation; the kind Scorpius would use himself. He felt a pang of love for her go through his chest. He shook it off and turned to his dad.

“So, if the Ministry deemed you unfit for children, how do I come into the picture?”

“We fought to get Cassie back for over a year, but there were unrelenting. By this point Cassie had been adopted and sent to a new home, and we felt that she may be better there than with us anyway. However, your mother still wanted a child, someone to keep me company when she passed. I said it was too risky for her health, but she insisted. So, I went to the Minister and begged him to let us have another child. After a few months, he agreed on one condition: we keep the child isolated in the Manor and separate from society until he or she goes to school. That way, I could be kept an eye on and so could the child. That’s how we got you, Scorpius.”

His father was looking at him which such pride in his eyes, but Scorpius couldn’t find it in him to look at him back. Instead, he looked to the floor.

“So, what? I’m not really your little miracle? I’m just a replacement for the first child you couldn’t keep? And I wasn’t kept from the world as a child for protection, I was on… what? Probation for a crime I never committed?” He tried to keep the bitter tone from his voice, but he couldn’t. Scorpius sniffed, trying his hardest to fight back the tears.

“You were never a replacement.”

“I would never have been born if you were allowed to keep Cassie. Maybe that would have been a better world.” The tears overcame him and started trickling silently down his cheeks. He looked up to Delphi, not bothering to dry his cheeks. “What do you want with him?” He asked.

Delphi shrugged. “That depends on M, but from my behalf it was to lure you here.”

“Who’s M?” Albus asked. Delphi nodded towards Cassie. “What does M stand for?”

“Malfoy. It was a nickname, just in case anyone saw the letters I sent her, so they wouldn’t figure out it was me,” Cassie explained.

“Let him go, Cassie. Please,” Scorpius begged. “Just let him go.”

“He deserves to pay for what he did to me,” she scorned, voice harsh.

“He didn’t do anything. He couldn’t keep you, that wasn’t his fault.”

“You believe that story? He lied to you your entire life, Scorpius.”

“I know.”

“Then, don’t let him get away with it!”

“Please, Cassie,” his tone was beginning to match hers now: fierce, harsh. He was tired. In fact, he was exhausted. His magic tingled at his fingertips, growing with his rising temper. “He’s useless in whatever fight you’ve got going on here! What are you even doing, dragging me and Albus here? What did you want me for? To form a Daddy Issues Club?” He thought he heard Albus snort but couldn’t hear much over the bubbling of his magic swirling around him.

It spun like the wind in wisps of gold and red, circling his shaking body. It was loud, whistling around him like a tornado. But, it was in control. Scorpius had complete control. Because he remembered something that Cassie told him: _stop pushing it away and embrace it._ He was embracing it. And it was listening to him.

“Scorpius?” Albus said, taking a shaky step towards him.

“Let him go,” Scorpius warned.

“Okay,” Cassie said. She walked over to Draco, gesturing with her wand for him to stand up. He obliged, showing little signs of protest. Instead, he locked eyes with Scorpius has he exited. Through his eyes he told Scorpius a promise: _I’ll come get you. I love you._

When he was out the room, Scorpius closed his fists. The magic stopped immediately, seeping back into his bones. A wave of vertigo washed over him as he swayed slightly on his feet, dizziness encircling his brain. Two seconds later, he passed out in Albus’ arms.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MY BEAUTIFUL OC CASSIE IN THE DRAWING THERE BY: https://secretlydreamingofgansey.tumblr.com/ (I'm allowed to still love her despite her flaws, okay? I did create her after all)  
> Hope you're all liking this so far! Let me know :))


	11. Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Delphi attempts to recruit Scorpius, and by extension, Albus.

Outside, the thundered roared. Rain thrashed down at a rapid rate, hitting harshly off the roof and sounding throughout the room. On any other day, in any other situation, it would have been peaceful. But right now, surrounded by people who he was half convinced want to kill him, and his unconscious boyfriend in his arms, Albus was far from at peace.

“Does he do that a lot?” Delphi asked, tone bored and eyeing an unconscious Scorpius in his arms. Albus only managed to send her a quick incredulous look before he was preoccupied with checking he was okay. He knew the odds are he was just drained, but that didn’t stop the panic. And the awe; Albus had never seen him do that before. The way his magic swirled around him was breath-taking, he looked powerful. It only slightly scared Albus. Even Delphi looked slightly scared, not that she’d ever admit it.

He lay Scorpius on the floor, resting his head in his lap. Albus pulled out his wand and cast a Rejuvenating spell over him, watching as colour drained back into his cheeks. Scorpius blinked a few times before realising his surroundings. When his eyes met Albus’, he smiled. Albus was glad – that even after everything that had just happened – Scorpius could still find it in him to smile. He truly was the human embodiment of the sun.

Scorpius sat up, eyes landing instantly on Cassie. Albus had almost forgotten she and Delphi were still there. Considering they were technically hostages, he didn’t feel threatened. He felt like an unexpected guest. And he knew, for whatever reason, they needed Scorpius and therefore – by extension – needed Albus too. They were a package deal, Cassie would know that. Even Delphi would know that.

Scorpius sighed and shuffled closer to Albus, who was still kneeling next to him. “So, what do you want?” He sounded – all in all – done with their shit. Albus couldn’t blame him. He was fairly done, too. He would like to head back to the castle, wrap them both in a blanket with hot chocolate and sit in front of the common room fire whilst Scorpius read him a book. He was just about done with boggarts and dementors and bloody Delphi. Feeling as at ease as he did felt strange, though. He would have thought both his and Scorpius’ anxiety would have been through the roof. Maybe it was and this – acting like they didn’t care – was some weird messed up coping mechanism.

“We want you to be on our side, Scorpius,” Cassie spoke, stepping closer and kneeling down just in front of him. Albus scoffed and rolled his eyes. Albus still wasn’t sure how exactly Astoria Malfoy managed to have two kids, one that turned out like Cassie and another like Scorpius. Then, he remembered that Scorpius was Astoria through and through. He had adopted her kind and caring personality, whereas Cassie had been raised by the Rowles’ and if Delphi was anything to go by, they didn’t have the best track record.

“And why would I do that? Delphi, might I remind you, tried to kill me!” He exclaimed, flailing his arms in dramatic effect. Albus let out a slight chuckle. Scorpius had two moods – take everything seriously; or take nothing seriously. He was apparently opting for the latter.

“Please,” Delphi scoffed, inspecting her nails. “I never _tried_ to kill you.”

Scorpius scrambled to his feet, pulling his wand out his pocket and crossed the room to her, shoving it in her face. Delphi never even flinched.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t just end you right now,” Scorpius threatened. Even Albus had to admit he was slightly scared of the sudden outburst. He had never seen Scorpius like this before. He’d seen him angry, yes, but that was so rarely an emotion he felt. He never liked it. He claimed it made him feel out of control. From here, Albus could see the fire in his eyes, and for a moment he thought it might have been his magic creating the sensation.

Delphi smiled, her face contorting into one of pride. “You’ve got a lot of anger,” she praised. “I can work with anger.”

“Don’t push him, Fifi,” Cassie said, exasperated. She hadn’t moved from where she was kneeling next to Scorpius. Cassie sent Albus a weary look before turning to face Delphi and Scorpius. Scorpius’ stance had slightly faltered, but his wand was still raised.

“Don’t tell me you’re scared, Cass. He’s weak. He doesn’t have it in him,” she dragged her gaze up and down Scorpius. Albus stood, preparing to grab Scorpius should he do anything he can’t control. Scorpius, however, faltered. After all, Delphi was right. Scorpius didn’t have a bad bone in his body.

He dropped his wand and stepped away. Delphi cackled and stepped closer. She ran a hand across his cheek before patting it lightly. Scorpius flinched.

“So what? What’s your plan?” He asked when she stepped away, enough for him to clearly regain his posture.

“We want revenge,” she explained, settling herself down on a desk and inspecting her nails. “On everyone who has ever wronged us.” She eyed Albus carefully and smirked.

“Like my father?” Albus guessed. Her silver eyes bore into his, cold and calculating. He remembered one night after they’d returned from Godrics Hollow: Scorpius had woken in a frenzy, saying he couldn’t get her cold eyes out his mind. Albus comforted him for a bit before he excused himself to the bathroom. When he didn’t return ten minutes later, Albus went to find him. He was sat on the floor in a full-blown panic attack because when he looked in the mirror, he saw Delphi’s eyes staring back at him. He wasn’t able to look into a mirror for three weeks – Albus had to do his hair for him.

Albus didn’t understand it. Scorpius’ eyes were nothing like Delphi’s. Scorpius’ were soft and kind and full of light. Delphi’s were cold, calculating, empty. They may have been similar in colour, but Scorpius’ were the snow settled on the ground on Christmas Day, whereas Delphi’s were a storm that threatened to rain. They were nothing alike.

“You still pissed at him, Albie?” Albus winced at the nickname. That was Scorpius’ nickname for him, and Delphi was about to take that from him as well. She’d taken everything else, and a nickname shouldn’t have bothered him, but it did. It was the thing that separated Scorpius from everyone else. Everyone called him Al or Albus, and he never liked either of those. Albie was different, it felt loving and caring coming from Scorpius’ lips. Sometimes James called it him but that was always as a joke, from Scorpius it was endearing and meaningful. He wouldn’t let Delphi have that.

“No.” A flash of annoyance crossed her features, but it was gone as soon as it appeared.

“Pity. We could have used you,” she mused, then shrugged. Albus wasn’t quite sure what she meant by that. “And you,” she turned to Scorpius. “Why…” she walked two fingers up his chest, when she reached his neck, she pulled away and booped his nose. “…Are you so angry?”

Scorpius was struggling to hold her gaze, he was never very good at eye contact, especially with someone he found intimidating. It must have been harder, knowing he saw himself in her eyes. Instead his eyes flicked around the room, finding everything more interesting than her gaze. They only settling when they found Albus’ eyes. Albus saw him relax slightly. It was like he was suddenly reminded he wasn’t alone. And he never would be. Albus would never leave him, not here.

“I’m not,” he mumbled, barely audible.

“Oh you are. You’re angry, you just don’t know how to be that yet,” it was Cassie who spoke up. “It shows in your magic. That red that swirling around you earlier, that was anger.”

“And most impressive,” Delphi took over. “See, that can be easily redirected. Are you in?”

“Definitely not,” Scorpius scoffed, backing away from Delphi and towards Albus.

“See, Scorpius. It wasn’t really a question.” Now, Albus was starting to feel trapped. He stepped closer to Scorpius. Maybe if he could just grab his hand he could somehow disapparate out. Neither of them knew how to do it, but perhaps the splinching was worth escaping Delphi. And Scorpius was brilliant, so if anybody could get them out safely using magic, it’d be him.

“Scorpius, we could do this together,” Cassie urged, stepping towards him and taking his hand. Scorpius flinched and looked between her and their hands. “As siblings.” Albus still couldn’t wrap that fact around his head. Scorpius had always told him how weak childbirth made his mother, maybe that was because she had two kids rather than one. The worst thing about this whole thing, though, was seeing Scorpius’ face when his father confirmed the whole thing; watching the look of betrayal settle over his features as he found out his parents had lied to him his entire life. He put his mum on a pedestal, and Albus had no idea how he was truly dealing with the revelation.

Another thing was that Scorpius had always wanted a sibling. He had told Albus one day how jealous he was that he had Lily and James and Scorpius had no one. Growing up had been a lonely affair for him, and now he's come to know that he could have had that all along. 

“No, thank you,” Scorpius replied, tugging his hand from Cassie’s grip. “I just came to get my dad,” he spoke, as though that would grant him a free pass out.

“Your dad was probably safer here,” Delphi laughed, kicking herself off the table. “He’ll just go back to the castle and we have forces infiltrating it as we speak. I could call them off, of course, if you want?”

“What’s the catch?”

“Join us, and I’ll call them off,” she shrugged, as though it was the easiest decision Scorpius was ever going to make.

“No.” He stated again.

“Scorpius,” Albus warned. If it were Albus, he probably would have agreed if only to keep the people at the castle safe. He could figure out how to escape later.

“They have the entire Auror department, they’ll be fine,” it sounded as though he was trying to convince himself more than anyone else.

“Scorpius, my family are in there,” Albus tried again.

“Albus, I’m telling you they’ll be okay.”

“How?”

Scorpius smiled at him, a wicked grin, and turned back to Delphi. “It’s a threat. There’s no one infiltrating the castle. She doesn’t have the men and even if she did, she wouldn’t do it.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Delphi asked, arms falling to her side in indignation.

“Because,” Scorpius tilted his head slightly, “you don’t have it in you.” He threw her earlier words back at her. For a second – only a second – she faltered. However, no one missed it. Scorpius smiled again, he’d caught her out.

“Test me,” she threatened, but even Albus could tell it was empty.

“You said you want revenge, what did those kids up there ever do to you?” Delphi never spoke. “Exactly. That’s why you won’t do it.”

In that moment, watching Scorpius stand up to the woman who had been the object of their nightmares for a year, Albus had never been more in love with him. He was reminded of all the reasons why he loved him. Because he was brave, and maybe not in the Gryffindor I’m-going-to-dive-head-first-into-this-battle kind of way, but in the Slytherin I’m-suffering-but-I-will-face-this-day-like-I-do-every-other. His bravery was subtle, and most would never called it bravery. But Albus did. Because Albus saw the way he faced every day when he’d rather be in bed. He saw the way he never shied from his newfound powers but rather learnt to work with it. He saw the way he would comfort Albus when he was feeling down even when Scorpius wasn’t feeling great either. And right now, he saw the way he was standing up to Delphi, even though his hands were shaking, and his heart was pounding, he was doing it. He was doing it because nobody else could.

But then, Albus loved him for all his vulnerabilities too. He loved him in the early hours of the morning when he can’t stop shaking and crying and clinging to him because he had a nightmare where Albus didn’t exist and he was so scared he was back in that world. He loved him when he first told him he loved him; it was on the train before summer and he just kind of blurted it out, as though he couldn’t hold it in any longer. He loved how he was kind to everyone, even to those who weren’t so kind to him.

Albus had been so distracted in his own thoughts that he took a second too long to realise the _Incarcerous_ that had been directed at him. He didn’t have time to block it, and ropes wrapped around his body, rendering him useless. Albus fell to the floor, struggling to escape the bonds. He heard Scorpius shout and looked up from his struggle but couldn’t do anything as two random men wrapped iron bonds around his wrists – an old-fashioned method once used to stop magic. Cassie emerged a second later – Albus hadn’t seen her leave – but she was carrying a potion. Albus didn’t know what it was, but he knew it was nothing good. The two men held Scorpius back as Cassie forced the liquid down his throat.

He spluttered and choked as the potion trickled down his throat. Albus was sure most of it went down him in his struggle, but either way it would probably still be successful.

“What is that?” Albus asked, his voice sounding too distant to be his own. The men let go of Scorpius, removing the bonds and exited the room. Scorpius crashed to the floor, coughing harshly. His eyes watered and if Albus didn’t know any better, he’d say it was burning his throat. He watched hopelessly as Scorpius clawed at his throat, attempting to relieve himself.

It seemed like hours by the time he’d recovered – though it had been merely minutes. Free of his bonds, Scorpius crawled over to Albus – seemingly too weak to stand – and helped free Albus from his. Once free of the rope, Albus’ hands flew to Scorpius cheeks, his eyes inspecting him intently. His grey eyes were bloodshot, like he’d been crying. There were scratch marks on his throat and his cheeks were flushed red.

“What did you do?” Albus said, angrier now. He turned to face Delphi – who looked just as bored as usual – and Cassie – who was chewing nervously on her nails. Delphi elbowed her, and she stopped the habit, swallowing her nerves and putting on Delphi’s signature I-don’t-give-a-fuck face. She walked over to them and dropped to one knee in front of Scorpius, still holding the empty potion bottle in her hand.

“See, Scorpius, you’re not the only genius in this family,” she began. The change from the nervous girl that was just standing in front of them to the empty, stoic look she held now was dramatic. It was hard to believe she was the same person. Though, Albus could see Draco Malfoy in her. “I made this little potion. Feel any different? Tired, maybe? Drained? That’s because you can feel your magic draining from you. It’s designed to strip you of your magic, then of your life. A handy little thing, really. I gave you a higher dose, so you have five or six hours at most. There is an antidote, so you know what to do.”

With that, they both left.

Scorpius stared at Albus in horror, shocked for words. Alone in the room, Scorpius dropped his façade. He collapsed into Albus, burying his head and sobbed. Albus’ heart broke as Scorpius’ tears soaked his hoodie and sobs filled the quiet of the room. If Albus had it in him, he would have cried as well, but he felt more shocked than anything. All he could do was hold Scorpius until he collected himself and watch as the effects of the potion took it’s debilitating consequences.

 

* * *

 

 

When Draco Malfoy stumbled through the Great Hall doors, Harry perked up for a moment. He thought – or hoped – he’d have the boys with him. They had disappeared at some point in the night, leaving a giant hole in Harry’s heart. He thought they were over running away without telling anyone where they were going, yet here they were. Harry and Ginny had woken up to four students missing – Cassie Kingsley, Lara Creevey and Albus and Scorpius. They were at a loss as to how they got out without getting caught, or if they’d been kidnapped, how someone got in and got them out without detection.

Harry was first to reach Draco, who collapsed into his arms.

“Draco, where have you been? Are you okay? Someone get Poppy!” Harry called, hearing footsteps run off. “Have you seen the boys?” Maybe Harry shouldn’t have mentioned them – for all he knew, Draco had no idea they were missing and maybe sharing that information straight away was not his brightest idea, but when Draco nodded against his chest, his heart felt a little lighter.

Harry half expected them to coming running in after him, but no one came.

Harry led Draco over to a makeshift bed and lay him down. Poppy started working her magic, but it didn’t seem to be doing much.

“The boys…” Draco started, his voice weak. “They’re with Delphi.” Harry’s heart dropped to the floor. An uneasy feeling grew in his stomach.

“Do you know where?”

Draco nodded. “Hogsmeade,” he replied through laboured breathing.

“Where in Hogsmeade?” Harry pressed.

“Mr. Potter, I know this is hard, but I need to focus on him,” Madame Pomfrey interrupted him, giving him one of her famous scowls. Harry backed up.

“Do you know what’s wrong?” Ginny asked, a hand on Draco’s shoulder.

Madame Pomfrey let out an exasperated sigh and shook her head. “He’s not responding to my magic. And his own magic seems drained. Ask your questions now, because I’m going to put him in a magically induced sleep, to see if it’ll rejuvenate his magic. It appears to be exhaustion, no physical wounds,” she explained.

Before Harry could question him, Hermione came running over. She first asked how Draco was, before diving into what she had original came for.

“Harry, there’s been huge power surge in Hogsmeade, it’s where we think Delphi is. She’s the only person I can think of that could cause such a ripple.”

“It’s not Delphi…” Draco managed. Harry looked back at him, at the dark circles around his eyes and the way he could barely lift his head. Something seemed off. It seemed more like just exhaustion. He looked like he was dying. And that just wouldn’t do. He couldn’t save Scorpius and tell him that his father had died. It had been bad enough seeing him fall apart when Draco was kidnapped. He wouldn’t recover from this. Harry was not about to make that poor boy an orphan.

“Who is it?” Hermione asked, her voice soft as if she’d just noticed his tragic state too.

“Scorpius,” McGonagall said. Harry hadn’t noticed her come over. “He’s very powerful and if in a situation where he’s unable to control it, dangerous.”

“Scorpius isn’t dangerous,” Draco spit, ready to defend his son even in his dying state.

“Not intentionally, but he doesn’t have full control,” she explained.

“Then, we need to get to them, don’t we?” Harry said. “Draco, where are they?”

“Hogs Head Inn,” he explained. Harry knew of the place. After Aberforth Dumbledore died, the place went abandoned. He never had the chance to sell it on and no one has any interest in buying it. Logically, no one would think to look there. Harry had instantly thought they’d be at the Shrieking Shack, and honestly he was happy to not have to go back there.

“Right, let’s get some Aurors together and go. Minerva, I suggest keeping the students here until we know the threat has been dealt with fully,” McGonagall nodded at Harry’s instruction. “Ginny, are you-”

“Dad!” James interrupted, running over with Lily in tow. “Any news on Albus?”

“Yeah, we know where he is. We’re going now.”

“Then, I’m coming,” James said, huffing out his chest.

“Me too!” Lily exclaimed.

“Absolutely not,” both Harry and Ginny said at the same time.

“James, you’re staying here to look after Lily,” Ginny explained.

“Mum! I don’t need looking after!” Lily protested. Ginny sent her a signature glare and Lily instantly backed down. James did too, only after a huff of indignation and a foot stomp.

Madame Pomfrey put Draco in the magic-induced sleep, which seemed to put a pause to whatever was draining his magic. Harry organised a team to infiltrate Delphi at Hogs Head Inn, consisting of himself and Ginny as well as his best Aurors. Once armed and ready, they set off.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drawing by: https://secretlydreamingofgansey.tumblr.com/ of the beginning where Scorpius passed out in Albus' arms.  
> Thank you so much for the support so far! Comment always welcome!


	12. Rise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this is later than usual! I was busy finishing my degree but now it is complete and I'm a free elf!  
> So, enjoy chapter 12! Three more after this!

Death was a cruel thing. It ripped away at the edges, taking the best from people before ridding them off life. It was slow and painful. Sometimes, it came as a complete surprise. Sneaking up like a lion to its pray before pouncing. Invisible in the sounds of screams, and it takes and takes and takes. Death doesn’t discriminate. Some of the best people on Earth have been snatched from their life.

His mother.

Craig Bowker Jr.

Milo Creevey.

He could see them all. He could see the light leave every one of their eyes. The life draining from them in the cruellest way. A blood curse that ate away at them. The killing curse. A wand to his neck by his own hand.

How many more people would have to die because of him? How many more people would he not be able to save?

His father?

Albus?

Albus’ family?

It was all he could think about in his last moments. He wasn’t sure how long he had left. He could feel the potion eating away at him, draining him of his magic and then soon, his life. It was slow, melodic. There was something strangely poetic about it. He had never wanted this power and now it was being taken from him in the most painful way. A beautiful irony, he thought.

Scorpius used the last of his energy to sit up, tearing himself from Albus’ grip. He wanted to look at him, even if it was the last thing he’d do. He looked tired. He looked pitiful. He looked devastated. He knew. He knew Scorpius was dying. And the look on his face? Scorpius would fight for his life to wipe that sorrowful look off it. There was no way he was dying if it hurt Albus that much.

“How long has it been?” Scorpius asked, his voice hoarse from the tears.

“Three hours maybe,” Albus replied, sitting up more to inspect Scorpius. He dreads to think what he looked like. If he looked as bad as he felt, then it can’t be good.

“Where’s my wand?” Albus shrugged but looked around the room anyway. Scorpius didn’t remember dropping it, but he knew it was no longer in his trouser pocket. After a few moments of searching, Albus spotted it and got up to get it. He handed it back to Scorpius, sitting down next to him, resting his chin on Scorpius’ shoulder and running a hand through his hair.

“What do you need that for?” He asked, but Scorpius ignored him.

Scorpius closed his eyes and searched himself for even a drop of magic. There had to be some around, there had to be. Surely, there was no potion that could take it away from him. He searched and searched, waiting for that familiar tingle in his fingertips or rushing through his blood. He came up empty.

Giving up, Scorpius raised his wand and opened his eyes, drawing any energy he had left. If his magic was anywhere, it’d be in his energy.

“Lumos,” he uttered, shaking his wand. The tip flickered on and off like a blown bulb before sputtering and going out.

“Lumos,” he said, harsher this time. There was barely a spark.

Panic rose through him, charging like his magic once did.

It was gone.

“Lumos,” desperation leaked from his tone, but the wand stayed extinguished. Scorpius shook it multiple times, hoping beyond hope that it would just work. _Work. Work. Work. Please. Work._

“FUCK!” He screamed and threw his wand across the room, watching as it collided harshly with the wall before clattering to the floor. Albus only sighed, unsure on what to do and how to make it better.

“Are you really dying?” Albus asked, his voice a whisper. Scorpius could hear the heartbreak in those few words and his mind instantly searched for ways to make him feel better. Scorpius couldn’t bring himself to look at him. Instead, he stared numbly at the wall where his wand clattered, his mind racing for a solution. _Any_ solution.

There was one, of course. But that was a last resort. Scorpius feared it had come to that.

It was that, or slowly slip away. And if he went flying off the edge, then somehow he dragged Albus down with him. Scorpius always preached that he could never live without Albus, but he knew Albus couldn’t live without him either. It was a co-dependency. They _needed_ each other.

And if they only die once, they would die with each other.

“Do you trust me?” Scorpius finally spoke, dragging his eyes from the wall to meet Albus’ captivating emerald orbs. In that look – that singular look – Albus knew exactly what Scorpius was thinking. He had a strange ability to always know what was going through his brain, even when Scorpius didn’t know it himself.

“Scorpius, I-”

“Do you?”

“More than anything.” He was hesitant, but they didn’t have any other choice.

“Okay. Help me up?” He asked, holding his hand out. Albus hesitated, but never objected. He stood, pulling Scorpius up with him.

“Everything will be okay, right?” Albus asked, steadying Scorpius on his feet. He hadn’t realised the extent of exhaustion the potion had caused. He could barely stand. Instead, he leaned on Albus.

He nodded, because he couldn’t find himself to say the words for fear it would be a lie.

With Albus supporting him, they picked up his wand and made their way out the room where Delphi and Cassie left him to die. They weren’t locked in, and honestly they could just run away now. They probably would have, if Scorpius weren’t dying.

Their distant voices grew as they descended the stairs. Scorpius prepared himself, dug deep inside him to conjure up all his strength and confidence. It helped that Albus was next to him. He would have to be convincing. He would have to have courage somehow. Deeper and deeper he dug, into a memory he closed off from himself. He had buried the darkness he found in him, and he never wanted to unlock that box. But, here he was, channelling a version of himself he never wanted to see again. He was stepping off a cliff he hadn’t visited in a year.

Just before they reached the bottom, he turned to Albus and planted a kiss on his lips out of fear he’d never be able to again. If everything went wrong, he would save Albus. He would always save Albus.

Delphi and Cassie stopped talking when they emerged from the darkness. Scorpius gave Albus’ waist one last squeeze before building his strength enough to stand on his own. He let himself imagine his magic wasn’t gone. He let himself imagine that everything was okay. He let himself imagine that he wasn't completely defenceless. He let himself imagine that he could walk on his own. For it was the only way he’d be able to.

He stumbled closer, every step taking his energy. He was breathing hard by the time he reached them, and he placed a hand on a beam to steady himself. Still, he gathered all that strength he conjured before and forced his gaze to Delphi.

“We’ll help you,” he managed. “Whatever you need, I’ll help.”

Delphi cocked her head to the side, twirling her wand between her fingers. “And why should I believe you?” She said, a hint of amusement to her tone.

Scorpius flicked his gaze between the two girls before settling on Delphi’s cool grey eyes. Eyes that had haunted his dreams. Eyes that haunted his own reflection.

“You said you needed me, and I’ve thought about why. But, then I realised I can help. You want revenge, so do I. People out there have destroyed my families name, they deserve to pay for it. And I’m the perfect weapon, right? The ticking time bomb. I’m not in control of my magic completely, and it’s strong. You know I could cause damage... So, let’s destroy the world.” He never faltered like he usually would, he never strayed from eye contact like he normally would. There was nothing but bite to his tone, nothing but pure evil. And it worked, because she smiled. Even if it was all a complete lie.

“Lets.” She agreed, nodding to Cassie. Cassie smiled widely and ran off with a slight glee to her step. Scorpius managed to turn and send a look to Albus: _Still trust me?_ Albus nodded, and Scorpius let out a sigh of relief.

Cassie returned moments later with another potion. For a moment, Scorpius had a thought that this would not really cure him. But, it was his last option. So, he took it from Cassie and downed it in one. The foul taste made him retch, and he covered his mouth with his arm to keep it down. Scorpius dropped the vile as the potion took effect.

It was almost immediate. His magic built within him, swirling and coursing through his veins. He smiled viciously, not daring to drop his act. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Scorpius pushed himself to stand straight, pushing his shoulders back and holding his head high. His fingertips tingled, red and gold sparks sputtering. He clenched his fist, cutting the sensation off.

Delphi was staring at him, a proud look on her face. Scorpius returned it.

Scorpius turned, no longer feeling unsteady on his feet, and walked over to Albus. He stood next to him and took his hand, facing back to Delphi and Cassie.

“So, what’s the plan?” Scorpius asked. He really hoped Albus wouldn’t remember the look in his eyes, fearing they looked too much like Delphi’s. Albus squeezing his hand, however, reminded him he wasn’t alone. They were in this together. And together, they could do anything.

“We were hoping you could help with that. Albus is quite good at plans,” Cassie said, a hopeful look on her face.

“Easy.” Albus replied, seemingly borrowing some of Scorpius’ courage and cold, stoic look. Though, Scorpius could still see the sparkle behind his eyes, despite his mouth forming a thin determined line. Hopefully, Albus could still see that in Scorpius' eyes too. He was thankful that Albus knew it was all an act. They have never officially discussed it. “Who wants revenge on who? Delphi?”

“Harry Potter,” she stated simply. Albus never even flinched. Scorpius felt a surge of pride. “In fact, anyone associated with him.”

“So, The Order? Okay, Cassie?”

“My parents,” she stated, looking at Scorpius. “My real ones.”

“Mum’s already gone,” he reminded, trying his best to ignore the pang of sorrow rip through him. Losing her never got easier. He thought it would. He thought over time that saying her name or thinking about her would become easier. It never did. He saw Astoria Malfoy everywhere. He saw her brown eyes in Albus’ morning coffee. He saw her smile every time he caught himself off-guard and there was a mirror around. She was a haunted soul, destined to never leave him alone. Her presence was everywhere, even in this ghastly abandoned pub. Her spirit was here somewhere, protecting him.

“And Draco will be soon, too. If not already.”

Scorpius’ world fell apart.

It came crashing down in a kaleidoscope of memories. All the pain, all the memories of losing his mum came back. But somehow worse. The weight of already missing his mum and now the very idea of losing his dad was crushing. Inside, the words wrapped around his lungs, crushing him and choking him. Inside, he cried and cried and cried until he could cry no more. He sobbed and fell apart. He mourned.

But, on the outside, he remained passive. He hoped the pain never crossed his face. He hoped they were lying. That hope was the only thing keeping him standing. That, and Albus’ hand in his.

“What?” He asked, surprising himself when his voice came out steady. He thought he would break apart as soon as he spoke, but once again was amazed by his own courage. Courage. It couldn’t really be called that at this point. He was breaking down on the inside.

“I already got my revenge on my father abandoning me. I thought you’d be happy, he lied to you too, Scorpius,” Cassie said.

He couldn’t help it. His mind was swirling with grief and anger. How dare they take his fathers’ life into their hands. How dare they take the last of Scorpius’ family from him. And how dare they think he’d be happy about it. He was only here to rescue him. He knew something was wrong. He knew he looked weak, but he let his own anger forget about that. His dad could be dead.

_Dead._

And all because of the two people standing in front of him.

 _Destroy them_ , his magic called. It pounded at his veins, desperate to be aired. He swallowed as though that could contain it. He clenched both his fists, removing his hand from Albus'. He didn’t want to hurt him.

But Cassie and Delphi? He could kill them.

He could end this now. It’s what he wanted. It’s what his magic wanted.

But, did he want it? Or was it just his magic?

 _Destroy them!_ It called again, creating a sensation that caused Scorpius to lurch forward.

He lost control of his breathing. He’d been trying to keep it calm, but he was so scared and so angry and so upset.

His _dad._

He couldn’t lose him. He couldn’t. There was no coming back from that.

Delphi and Cassie wanted revenge? So did Scorpius.

Upon noticing his change in demeanour, Delphi drew her wand. Scorpius was tempted to laugh. As if a stick of wood was any match for him.

“ALBUS? SCORPIUS?”

The door caved in, letting in a blinding light.

“Sectumsempra!”

A flash of white. The world blurred. Red stunning spells mixed with the green of the killing curse.

Scorpius screamed.

“Albus,” he sobbed, dropping down to floor. He couldn’t process the scene around him. Everything happened in flashes and all he could focus on was the blood.

Blood.

There was so much blood.

He placed his hands on Albus’ chest, hoping to soak up the blood with his hands.

“Albus,” he choked. “Please,” he begged. Begged him to stay alive. Begged for help from someone.

Albus was breathing heavy, short silent sobs emitting from him. Scorpius couldn’t even take his pain. He couldn’t do anything.

He would have to add Albus’ name to list of people he couldn’t save.

“Scorpius,” he choked, reaching his hand up to Scorpius’ cheeks.

“Shh, shh, it’s okay. I’ve got you, okay? I’ve got you,” Scorpius spoke, his voice weak and vulnerable. Albus’ eyes fluttered closed, his heartbeat weak. Scorpius let out a retched sob, his head falling to Albus’ chest.

_Please. Please. Help him. I can’t lose him, please._

“Albus. Please. Damn it. Please. Albus. No,” his words were clouded with sobs.

He begged over and over. Called out to his magic, to his mum. He couldn’t lose him, too. He couldn’t lose them both.

A hand was placed on his shoulder, but Scorpius ignored it.

“Scorpius?”

“NO,” he screamed. “No, I need him.” Scorpius sobbed against Albus, feeling totally and utterly helpless.

“Scor,” that voice he recognised. But no, he was clearly imaging it. When Scorpius opened his eyes, he was met with blood and tears and blinding emerald green eyes.

“Albus?” He sobbed, not quite believing what his eyes were seeing.  He looked at the wounds caused by the curse and saw they were starting to close up. The thing he saw next was the swirl of green and gold, small wisps hovering over Albus’ chest. His magic.

Scorpius' magic was curing him. It was closing the wounds. It was like it knew he couldn’t live without him. Only then did Scorpius feel it surging through him, running through his veins from his heart to his fingertips and dancing over Albus’ chest.

“You’ve got me, right?” Albus spoke, his voice hoarse.

Scorpius let out another sob, one of joy this time. He brought his bloodied hands to Albus’ cheeks and kissed his lips in a sloppy, tear filled kiss. Albus didn’t seem to have the energy to kiss back, but Scorpius didn’t care. He was alive. That was all that mattered.

Another hand was placed on his shoulder and this time Scorpius responded. He pulled away from Albus and saw Harry Potter staring down at him.

“Are you boys okay?” For someone who just nearly lost his son – _again_ – he seemed pretty calm. But then, maybe he saw what Scorpius did. Maybe he never cried out because he knew Scorpius was saving him somehow. Not even Scorpius knew how. He half expected for the wounds to re-open when the magic stopped, but thankfully they never did. Scorpius had never even heard of that curse before, let alone how to cure it.

“Wha- what happened?” Scorpius stuttered, finally surveying the room around them. It seemed the sun had broken through the storm because the room was filled with a soft golden glow from the open door. There were Aurors inspecting the place, but Cassie and Delphi were no where to be seen. Some of the pillars were broken and Scorpius wondered if the whole place was on the verge of collapsing.

“I was going to ask you that,” Harry joked, checking Albus over and helping him sit up.

“Delphi?” Scorpius asked, rubbing his temple where a headache was starting to brew.

“She and Cassie are in our custody. We’re checking the place for any of the missing students, but we need to get you two back and seen to. Albus, do you think you can walk?”

Scorpius heard Albus grunt slightly, but guessed he nodded when he felt him move next to him.

Have you ever had a moment of dissociation? Like you were moving and talking but it never felt like you doing those things? Like the world was a blur that carried on around you, but you were trapped in your own head? And you were screaming to escape but at the same time, your head was your solace. It was safe in there. In your head there was no pain, no destruction. It was safe. It was protecting you from the cruelty of the world.

That was how Scorpius felt.

The walk to the castle was a complete blur. If someone were to ask him what happened, he wouldn’t remember. Not the slightest clue.

The next thing he knew he was entering the Great Hall and he saw his dad lying unconscious on a conjured bed and his legs gave way from under him, his screams filling the room.

 

* * *

 

  
The hospital wing was in full swing. Madame Pomfrey could barely keep up with the overflowing students. Albus was lying on the bed next to his, fast asleep. His dad was the other side of him, still unconscious.

It took Scorpius a full hour to calm down after seeing his dad. People tried to assure him he was alive, but he knew everything. When Madame Pomfrey explained his symptoms, Scorpius knew Cassie had given him the same potion she gave Scorpius. He knew only Cassie had the cure. And she was in Auror custody no doubt heading to Azkaban. There was no way to get it. She would never tell.

His father was as good as dead.

The sleep Madame Pomfrey put him in had stopped the process of the potion by some miracle, so he would remain in that until they’ve found a solution. They were working on it, but without knowing the ingredients or nature of the original potion, it was difficult to make a cure.

Scorpius hadn’t slept. He mostly watched the bustle of the hospital wing. Watching as each new student that had been held captive by Delphi and Cassie emerged with a new injury of some kind. With every new student, his heart grew number.

After his breakdown in the Great Hall, he hadn’t felt anything. They walked him to the hospital wing behind his dad and he felt nothing. Just numb. He feared he’d never be able to feel anything ever again. It was like this after his mum died, just numbness where it should have been grief. It wasn’t until after the funeral that the emotions hit him like a tonne of bricks. He would rather his emotions. At least then he’d feel _something._

“Scorpius?” He blinked, then Lily and James came into view.

 _Cassie,_ he thought. Cassie was James’ girlfriend. Did he know about her? Had anyone told him?

Not trusting himself to speak, he smiled instead.

“Are you okay?” Lily asked, sitting on the end of the bed. She shared a glance to Draco’s bed, but never said anything.

Scorpius nodded. “And you?”

Lily shrugged. “Just happy you’re both alive. We were worried sick.”

“Sorry,” he said, more out of obligation than actually feeling sorry. He looked to James. “And you?”

James’ eyes were flickering around the room, but when Scorpius addressed him, he turned his gaze to him. “Yeah.” It was the most unconvincing statement Scorpius had ever heard, and he’s been friends with Albus for years.

“Do you know? Have they told you?” Scorpius asked, knowing they probably hadn’t. There was a reason he was so preoccupied: he was waiting for her to come through the doors. To brighten the world with her bright smile and enlightening eyes. His mothers’ smile. His mothers’ eyes.

“Told me what?” James asked, desperation in his voice.

“About Cassie?”

James grabbed his shoulders. “What do you know? Have you seen her?”

“James!” Lily scolded, grabbing her brothers’ arms off Scorpius.

Scorpius nodded. He didn’t know exactly where to start. It all seemed so messed up. She had been using every single one of them, but why James? He didn’t fit into the equation. Maybe she really did like him. They would never know.

“She’s my sister,” Scorpius started. “And she was working with Delphi to get revenge on my dad for giving her up.”

“You’re fucking with me,” was his response, bitter and harsh. Scorpius seriously wished he was.

“I’m sorry,” Scorpius meant it this time.

“No!” James screamed, anger fading into hurt. He looked around the room, eyes settling on Harry a few beds away with Lara – Scorpius wasn’t sure where she disappeared to or how they found her, but he was sort of thankful she was safe. It was clear she was manipulated into the whole situation. “Dad!” He yelled, running over to him.

“Dad, tell me it’s not true. Cassie. Tell me Scorpius is wrong. Tell me she’s okay,” he begged. Harry seemed at a loss for words, so pulled his son into a hug. It was all the confirmation James needed. He pulled from the grip violently. “NO! You’re wrong!” He pointed a threatening finger towards his dad, then at Scorpius. “You’re all wrong! She was kind. I know her. She wouldn’t do something like this. I swear, Malfoy, if you’re lying to me I will end your life,” James threatened.

“It’s true, Jamie,” Albus’ voice sounded from the bed next to him. Clearly all the commotion had woken him up.

“No, Al, please,” James instantly softened, stumbling over to his brothers’ bed. He collapsed onto Albus’ bed, burying his head in his brothers neck and sobbed. Scorpius had never seen James Potter cry before. It made his heart ache. He would never have guessed that James Potter crying would be what made him feel something again.

“I’m sorry, Jamie,” Albus whispered, stroking his brothers’ hair.

A pang of longing shot through Scorpius’ heart. He had had a chance at that. At having a sibling. A real one. He wondered what he had done so wrong to deserve such a broken life. Had he fucked up somehow? Was there a reason his sister was ripped from him before he was even born? Was there a reason death took his mum? Was there a reason his dad was now lying in the hospital bed, half dead?

Maybe it was him.

Maybe he carried destruction with him everywhere he went. Maybe he was never meant for healing, only pain. Maybe, everyone was safer with him out the picture. But, he could never give up on his dad and Albus. Not unless they gave up on him first. He just hoped his destruction wouldn’t reach Albus. It might be too late for his dad, but he’d be damned if he ever let anything happen to Albus. He would sooner give his life than give him up.

Scorpius felt someone take his hand in theirs. He blinked through his tears, not realising he’d been crying, to see his pale hand wrapped in a freckled one. Lily. When he looked up to her, she had tears in her eyes again.

Now, Scorpius never really hugged people. He much preferred keeping himself to himself, unless that other person was Albus. But, seeing Lily on the verge of tears, he couldn’t help himself. He crawled across the bed to where she was sitting and wrapped her up in a hug. It was more for him than her. He needed someone to hold. But she hugged him back just as fiercely, and maybe she needed someone to hold too.

 

* * *

 

 

Scorpius stayed with his dad. They tried to get him to leave, but there was no way in hell. He conjured his own confining uncomfortable plastic chair and sat with him for hours, long into the night.

When the sun rose the next morning, his dad hadn’t so much as stirred. Scorpius knew he wouldn’t. He was in a magically induced coma. But, he just wished he could squeeze his hand, or could feel him in some way. The most comfort he got was around four in the morning when he rested his ear over his chest just to hear his heart beating. That beating heart was a little bit of hope.

The morning brought back Harry and Ginny Potter, as well Minister Granger-Weasley. Madame Pomfrey led them through into Draco’s curtained-off area.

“Scorpius, have you not slept?” Ginny scolded, coming up to him and planting a kiss on his forehead. It was such a motherly gesture that he nearly burst out crying. He hadn’t had a motherly kiss or hug since his mum. It made his heart call out for her. For his dad.

He pushed the tears down and shook his head. “I can’t,” was the only explanation he could provide.

“I tried to get him to go back to the dorm, but he’s a Malfoy and if I know Malfoys, they are a stubborn breed,” Madame Pomfrey spoke, a hint of amusement to her tone. It made Scorpius smile. It was true: they were a stubborn breed.

“What do you know about your fathers’ condition?” Hermione asked, her tone gentle. They hadn’t asked them about what happened yet. Albus had spent most the time sleeping, and Scorpius spent it, well, distant. He wasn’t exactly all _there._

“Not a lot,” he admitted. He never took his eyes from his father. He wished he knew more. “It’s a potion, Cassie created it-”

“Created?” Hermione gasped.

“Apparently. It’s designed to drain you of your magic slowly, then eventually your life. They gave it to me, too.” He shuddered, remembering how the energy drained from him. The good thing was it was painless, it was like falling asleep. Slowly, the exhaustion would take over and then, he imagined there would just be darkness.

“But you seem fine,” Harry said.

“They had an antidote, they gave it to me. They wanted me to work with them, so I pretended I would, so they would give it to me.”

“So, there’s a cure. That’s good,” Ginny said, ever the optimist.

“Not if we can’t find it,” Scorpius snapped, then immediately felt guilty. “Sorry.” Ginny gave him an empathetic smile and rubbed a hand over his shoulder.

“You should get some sleep, Scorpius.”

“No. Not until I know he’s not a lost cause. I’m not losing anyone else.”

“You’re no good to him when you’re exhausted.” She was right. He knew that. And he was exhausted. He looked between the adults and then settled on Madame Pomfrey.

“Are you taking him to St Mungos?”

“I will be later, yes,” she confirmed.

“Don’t take him anywhere without me. I’ll go get some sleep, but only with Albus,” he spoke with a fierce tone, so no one would bother to question him. And they didn’t. Scorpius stood, placed a kiss on his dad’s cheek, feeling his heart constrict, and left the room in search of Albus. He heard the adults fall into easy conversation as soon as he left, clearly discussing things they didn’t want Scorpius to hear.

Albus was awake when he walked into his curtained-off section. He was shirtless, the scars from the curse slashed across his chest.

“Can I…?” Scorpius trailed off as soon as Albus smiled and nodded, already knowing what he was asking. Scorpius climbed into the bed next to him. “Do they hurt?” He asked, a hand hovering over the scars.

“Not anymore.” Albus’ voice was hoarse. “Thank you for saving me.” Scorpius didn’t see it as saving him. He didn’t know how he did it, just that he did.

“I don’t know what I did,” he admitted, now tracing the scars with gentle fingers. “Can I lie on you?”

“Of course you can,” he replied. Scorpius smiled and took up the familiar position of his head on Albus’ chest, still tracing the scars. “How’s your dad?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted. No one knew. He could only hope the healers at St Mungos had come across something like this before.

“We’ll figure it out,” Albus assured, pulling him in close. Scorpius allowed himself to bask in his warmth. Albus was like a human radiator. He was constantly emitting warmth, whereas Scorpius was always cold. Albus said it was because he was born in the summer and Scorpius was born in the winter.

“I can’t lose him as well.”

“You won’t.” Albus said it so fiercely and with so much purpose, that Scorpius found himself believing him. He hugged Albus tighter, finding himself feeling thankful that even if he has nothing, he still has Albus. He let the exhaustion overtake him, sending his world to black.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SORRY!  
> As usual the artwork is done by: https://secretlydreamingofgansey.tumblr.com/  
> Kudos and Comments welcome :)


	13. Everything or Nothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scorpius will do anything to save his dad, including taking a visit to see his sister in Azkaban.

Scorpius woke to a hand on his arm surrounded by open textbooks scattered about the floor. He sat up abruptly, finding his joints not cooperating with him due to his awkward sleeping position. Albus sat down next to him, a grim look on his face. It was the face he always wore these days. A face that either meant bad news or no news. Scorpius found he always preferred the no news.

His cricked neck pleaded against him moving, but he rubbed a hand over it anyway. He looked between the books on the floor, to his dad lying unconscious on the hospital bed and finally back to Albus and his unsteady looks.

“Nothing?” Scorpius asked, his voice hoarse. He hadn’t spoken to anyone since Albus left the day before to go back to Hogwarts.

Draco had been transferred to St Mungos hospital three weeks ago and even though everyone tried to convince Scorpius to go back to school and let the healers focus on him, he couldn’t bring himself to leave his fathers’ side. And mostly, no one complained. He had been back to Hogwarts maybe once or twice and that was only because Albus convinced him he needed to shower and eat something properly: _“you’re no good to anyone if you slowly wilt away”_ he would protest.

“Sorry, love,” he sighed, stroking a hand over Scorpius’ cheek. Albus had promised to help in a search for the cure, but they couldn’t find anything that even remotely resembled the potion Cassie gave him. Even Rose, James and Lily agreed to help in their spare time, and occasionally dropped by to let him know that they, too, have found nothing.

It seemed like a lost cause. But Scorpius would die before he gave up on his father.

Everyday he grew increasingly annoyed with the healers at St Mungos. He felt for sure they would give up on him soon enough, which meant Scorpius had to find a cure soon.

It was awful to watch his dad in a coma. He was so still that sometimes Scorpius thought he was already dead. Sometimes he thought that even if they did find the cure, he wouldn’t wake up anyway, so he wouldn’t be able to drink it.

But the worst part of it all: he missed him. It seemed impossible to miss someone when they were right in front of you every day, but he still did. He missed his stoic glances at anyone who displeases him. He missed the way his lips would curve into a smile whenever Scorpius made a really bad pun. He missed the way he would hug him so tightly when he returned from Hogwarts. He missed the way he would talk about his mum, the way his eyes would light up when remembering a happy memory of her.

Missing him wasn’t like the way he missed his mum. He knew his mum wasn’t coming back – a concept that took him a while to grasp but now he knew. But, there was a chance for his dad. A tiny, miniscule chance, but a chance nonetheless. That’s what made it worse. There was a chance at success and a chance at failure and it’s what made him miss him more. The knowledge that the last time they spoke hadn’t been on great terms. There was a part of him that was still angry, but it was clouded by the part that missed him more than anyone.

The worst kind of pain, Scorpius decided, is missing someone who’s still here.

“Though, there is something,” Albus spoke, pulling Scorpius from his slump. Scorpius looked at him, eyes lit up with hope. Albus slumped slightly at his expression. “You’re not going to like it,” he warned.

“I’ll do anything, Albus, you know that.” There was a determination to his voice. The same determination that always surfaced whenever anyone had even the slither of a plan.

He had felt so weak over the past few weeks, with nothing – not even hope – keeping him going. His whole body felt like it was shutting down, like it was under the effects of that damned potion again. His dads heartbeat was the only thing keeping him functioning right now because everything else seemed to disappear. There was a hole in his heart, carved there by his mother’s death and now increasing with his fathers’ condition. It was all about ready to tear in two and right now, only Albus was holding it together.

Albus – sweet, kind Albus – had been by his side every single day. He would come after lessons and go before curfew. On the weekends he would stay with him despite the protests of literally everyone. He was patient when Scorpius got frustrated. He held him when he cried. He wiped his tears away. He searched for cures in books. He was being so patient, and Scorpius knew that if Albus hadn’t of been there, then he probably would have given up.

“That’s what worries me,” Albus admitted, tearing his bottom lip to pieces with his teeth. Scorpius reached over and brushed a thumb over his lips, a silent gesture to tell him to stop. It was a bad habit he – ironically – picked up from Scorpius.

“What is it?” Scorpius pushed, growing increasingly impatient with every second.

“My dad came to see me this morning, in fact he’s outside, but thought it best I speak to you first,” he paused, searching for the right words. In the end, he decided to just blurt it out. “Cassie has been asking to see you.”

“Me?”

“Yeah, and dad wants you to go. He thinks you might be able to get the potion ingredients and method out of her. If there’s anyone she’ll talk to, it’s you.”

Scorpius had trouble believing that. There was no reason why she’d want to talk to him: he lied to her. He pretended to go along with their little revenge project to save his own life. He’d done to her what everyone else in her life had done: lied. A pang of guilt surged through him.

“I’ll go.”

“You don’t have to…”

“But, I want to. If it’ll save my dad. Will you come with me?”

“Of course,” he answered straight away, no hesitation present. It made Scorpius’ heart constrict with love. Oh, how lucky he was to have Albus Severus Potter in his life.

 

* * *

 

 

With a pop of apparition, they landed on the rocky shores of Azkaban. The wind ripped around them, no evidence of anything but a storm present for weeks. Scorpius pulled his robes around him tighter, regretting not putting on another layer. He forced down the wave of nausea that came with apparition, clutching onto Albus’ arm to comfort.

“You sure you want to do this, Scorpius?” Harry asked, a hand on his shoulder. He wasn’t sure. In fact, he didn’t want to. The more he thought about it, the more he figured it was a bad idea. Then Albus grabbed his hand and he thought that maybe he could do this.

“No,” he answered truthfully, “but I have to.” Harry and Albus only nodded and they started their ascent into the bleak walls of the prison.

The only sense of warmth Scorpius got was from Albus’ hand in his. Other than that, cold settled throughout his bones, sending chills vibrating through his skin and down his spine. It wasn’t like an ice-storm kind of cold, it was an eerie chill, the kind that settles with an uneasy feeling. Mixed with his current light-headedness from his splintered sleep and less-than-healthy diet over the past few weeks and the vertigo that lingered from the apparition, Scorpius felt just about ready to pass out.

They passed a few Aurors on the way up, most giving silent nods towards their Head, but mostly it was quiet. No one dared to speak. A few prisoners were asleep as they passed their cells, though he supposed there was never much to do, and it always seemed like night time around here. The few prisoners who weren’t asleep stayed quiet, until they reached the floor that Cassie was on.

Cassie was at the very end of the hall, a long stretch away. The three made their slow walk down, and from the moment they stepped into view, it was obvious the inmates down this hall were far from asleep. From the moment Harry Potter came into view came the abuse. Harry seemed unfazed, but Scorpius felt a slight shudder of uneasiness go through him. Albus seemed just as uncomfortable and leaned closer to his dad for comfort.

Scorpius never dared to look at anyone. They had a lot of power in here, and it felt like as soon as he looked at one, they would know all his deepest, darkest thoughts. It wasn’t true, of course. But the anxiety still fired through him. There was a slight tingle at his fingertips, something that Scorpius hadn’t felt the past few weeks because he’d been so emotionally and physically drained. The tingle felt like coming home, it sent a surge of warmth through him, like it was telling him he wasn’t alone. It would protect him.

He did his best to ignore the shouts and screams, even the ones that weren’t aimed at him or Harry or Albus – it seemed distant screaming was a constant at Azkaban. Scorpius tried not to think of a moment in time he’d been trapped in, when all he could hear was the screams of muggle-borns from the dungeons. He tried not to think about the horrors he’d done to survive.

A few feet away from Cassie’s cell, Albus stopped walking. He let Scorpius take a few more steps before their hands came disconnected and Scorpius turned to face him, dread settling on his face. Albus was stood with Harry’s hands on his shoulders and a small proud smile on his face. _You got this,_ it said. With a small nod towards him, Scorpius squared his shoulders and turned back to the cell, ignoring the feeling of loneliness that crept through him.

“Cassie?” He called, his own voice sounding way too quiet against the natural background noise of Azkaban. It seemed, though, that she heard him. From the darkness came Cassie, scurrying towards to cell bars. She wrapped her hands firmly around them, eyes alight with hope. Scorpius gasped when he took her in completely. Her white-blonde hair seemed to have dulled slightly from the dirt and grease, her pale skin a murky colour that seemed to start from her eyes and all the way to her cheeks. She was skinnier than she had been, her cheekbones sharper.

She looked deathly.

She looked as his mother did over two years ago when the life was drained from her. In the dimmed lighting, Cassie’s eyes looked more like hers had in those last moments.

And it made him want to crawl up in a ball and cry for so long that he’d eventually forget what he was crying about.

But, he couldn’t do that, so instead he said: “Hey.”

A grin lit up her face, giving it an essence of happiness otherwise vacant. “Scorpius! You came.”

“I did,” he responded, significantly less enthusiastic than she. He swayed gently on his heels, unsure what to do with himself. Scorpius wrapped his arms around himself, searching for the warmth that the prison never gave. _How could anyone survive in this?_ Weirdly, he felt a pang of sorrow for the prisoners. They may have committed heinous crimes, but did they deserve every ounce of humanity ripped away from them? Scorpius didn’t think that was justice. Scorpius thought that was just as bad an act of crime as the ones they committed to land themselves here in the first place.

Cassie’s legs seemed to give way beneath her and she crashed to the floor, her hands squeaking as they slid down the mental bars. She never moaned in pain, instead she fixed herself into a crossed-legged position and stared up at Scorpius. Scorpius sent an uneasy look to the side of him, at no one in particular, before sinking down into a position mirroring hers.

“You requested to see me?” He asked, figuring it was a safe place to start. He couldn’t outright ask for the potion, he had to build her trust first.

“I wanted to talk to you. I wanted to say… sorry,” she hung her head in shame.

“For trying to kill me?” He asked, keeping all animosity from his tone and keeping it soft. Truth was he wasn’t all that angry anymore. He was at first. She made the potion that was currently murdering his dad but seeing her here and hearing her apologise made Scorpius think there was more to it. After all, Delphi was powerful and quick-witted. She had Albus do her dirty work for her last year and there was no doubt Cassie played a similar victim. Delphi was in no way getting her hands dirty.

The difference was, however, that if Cassie really was being manipulated, she was still a Malfoy. Albus was a Potter. If the roles had been reversed, and it was Scorpius who Delphi manipulated completely last year – rather than him just blindly following Albus – then there was a good chance he’d be in here too. That was kind of just how the world worked.

“I never wanted to do that, I swear. It was Fifi’s idea. I made the potion when I was about twelve, by accident! I nearly killed myself doing it, it was a really weak dose and I managed to figure the antidote before it finished me off. When Fifi found out about it, she fell in love with it. It was her idea to give it to you and I don’t know what she would have done to me if I hadn’t gone along with it.” The worst thing was, she seemed genuine. But, then, she had grown up with Delphi and that kind of manipulation was learned skill.

“And my dad…?” Scorpius asked.

Cassie hung her head again and took a deep breath. When she looked back up to him, there were tears forming behind her big brown eyes. “I admit, that was my idea. I never knew the full story, but I always thought they gave me up. When I found out they had another child, only two years younger than me… Well, you can imagine. At first I was happy, but then Delphi heard and convinced me that I shouldn’t be happy. So, came the anger and revenge plot, but that’s no excuse. He’s not my dad, not really. He’s yours, I shouldn’t have taken him away from you.”

“You didn’t.”

“What?”

“He’s alive. Barely.”

“Oh.”

It was silent for a while. Neither knew what to say or how to say it. Scorpius stared at an empty spot on the floor, seeing the dust particles float in what little light came from a crack in the wall. It seemed even the other prisoners were stuck for words, because the whole place plummeted to silence. He heard Albus shuffle on his feet behind him, probably itching to comfort Scorpius in some way.

Still, Scorpius swallowed his grief – he couldn’t grieve yet, there was still a chance. Instead, he looked back at Cassie to find her picking away at her nails. The blood trailing down her fingers didn’t go unnoticed.

“I always wanted an older sister,” Scorpius admitted. She stopped her actions to look at him, that hopeful look once again plastered on his face. “I knew the cruelty of the world from a very young age. Mum and dad isolated me from it for reasons I now know the truth to. But, back then they told me it was to shelter me from the cruelty. I guess the real and fake reason wasn’t too different.” She held Scorpius’ gaze, never daring to interrupt his speech.

“I never had any friends,” he continued. “None that were my age or… real anyway. I had an imaginary one once, but we fell out over the correct rules of gobstones,” they both chuckled. “A sibling would have been nice. Someone to make the days less lonely. I always wanted an older sister because I knew I was different. I knew I wasn’t like any Malfoy that came before me. I knew because of that I would probably be bullied. An older sister would fend the bullies off. She would have been a friend at Hogwarts when I never had anyone but Albus. It would have been… nice.” He looked down at the infamous empty spot again. “I wish things were different,” he said, truthfully.

Different and undoubtedly better. Having a sister for him would have changed everything. There would have been an extra person to help him through the grief after his mum. When she died his father sort of shut down. Scorpius may as well have been left completely alone in his grief. It wasn’t until a year later when Draco nearly lost his son as well did he finally snap from his grief. That was the first time his dad hugged him since he was a little boy. That was the first time he’d ever heard his dad tell him he loved him.

“I always wanted a little brother, too,” Cassie admitted. She spoke so quietly that Scorpius barely heard her over the distant screams that had started back up. He shuffled closer to her. “I always knew I was a Malfoy, but I never knew you existed. Not until your name was called at the sorting…” she trailed off, looking down at an empty spot too.

“That must have been difficult for you,” Scorpius prompted, to get her to talk again.

She let out an awkward chuckle as she shook her head. “I think I went through every emotion under the sun in those two minutes the hat was on your head. I didn’t really know how to feel, but mostly I was happy. You probably didn’t notice but I always tried to talk to you in little ways, like asking you to pass the salt or something stupid.” There was a faint smile on her lips, one of reminiscence. “It was clear after a while you never knew I existed. I remember one day hearing you tell Albus that you always wanted a sibling. I nearly exploded out of desperation to tell you.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“You would never have believed me.”

“I’m still trying to work it all out in my head, to be honest,” Scorpius admitted in a low tone. It wasn’t entirely true, having a sister he could understand. It was more why his parents lied to him his entire life that never quite made sense. The faint smile on Cassie’s lips faded into a thin line, her eyes dropping to the floor. “What about James?” He asked, changing the subject. It was a simple, short question, but held so many possible answers.

“Is he okay?” She perked up, going from her crossed-legged position to on her knees, practically hugging the bars. Scorpius tried not to seem offended that she had a more enthusiastic reaction for James than for him. He shouldn’t even be disappointed about that. Nonetheless, he nodded. She flopped back into her previous position. “I really liked him, and I could get close to you, it was a bonus. Tell him I’m sorry.”

Scorpius nodded. “So, how did it lead to this?” He wasn’t sure he ever wanted to know, but still he asked the question.

“Delphi glorified it. Made it seem like we’d be on top of the world. She made me hate your parents and anyone else who hurt me and her. She said she could get you to help, and I liked that idea, so I agreed. It felt like I could have a family, a real one. Me, her and you.”

“We could have been a formidable team,” Scorpius admitted, hoping Albus and Harry couldn’t hear him. “A Potioneer well advanced for her age, the daughter of Voldemort with her intense power and a genius,” with every word he spoke, her smile grew wider. And that was how Scorpius knew that she wanted all that just as much as Delphi. That was how Scorpius knew he couldn’t trust her. “We could have ruled the world.” It wasn’t a lie. They could have, just for all the wrong reasons.

“You think so?” Her beam lit up her face. Scorpius dug deep to find his inner Slytherin to help him win this situation.

“Help me, and I’ll help you,” he leaned forward and whispered, to give off the impression he didn’t want Harry – or even Albus – to hear.

“What do you need?” She asked, eyes wide and _honest_ …?

“Losing my dad would destroy me,” he let a couple of tears cloud his eyes. They weren’t a complete lie; the statement was the truth. “You know how to save him, tell me, please Cassie,” he begged. He watched the emotion flicker through her eyes: anger, contempt, vulnerable, sad and finally sorrow.

It was quiet for a long time. Cassie refused to make eye contact with him, as if looking at him would break her. He let out a shaky breath. _She’s not going to do it,_ he thought. _She’s not going to tell me. Coming here was a mistake. The anxiety wasn’t worth it. She’s going to let him die. I’m going to lose him._ The next sound that echoed through the hall was a loud sob from Scorpius, his emotions getting the better of him.

He took a chance and reached forward to place a hand around hers on the bar. He heard Albus’ feet scurry forward behind him before coming to a stop, no doubt his dad stopping him. “Please,” he whispered, nothing but desperation leaking in his tone. She finally flicked her glance up from the floor, settling them briefly on their hands before looking at Scorpius. Eventually, she nodded.

Scorpius turned to Harry to ask for a piece of parchment and a quill. He conjured one for him quickly before retreating back to Albus. Cassie recalled all the ingredients from memory, talking slowly so Scorpius could write them down. Then she went through the process of the potion – one that would take _two_ weeks to brew! It was going to be a long two weeks.

“Thank you,” Scorpius said, genuinely. He made to stand, and Cassie stood with him. She grabbed his arm through the bar, a hopeful desperation plastered across her face.

“Will you come again?” She asked. Scorpius looked at her hand holding his arm then back at her face. He pulled his arm from hers.

“We could have ruled the world,” he said again, watching as her eyes lit up. Scorpius took a step back. “But, for all the wrong reasons.”

He turned away in time to not see her face crumble from her overpowering emotions. He walked with meaning towards Albus, desperately trying to not let his legs buckle underneath him like they so badly wanted to. They’d made it all the way to the other end of the hall when they heard Cassie scream in distress.

“SCORPIUS!” She called. He never let himself stop. “PLEASE, SCORPIUS.” She begged. He took a shaky breath and they rounded a corner and told himself that it was the right thing to do.

He kept his determined face and walk on all the way to the exit of Azkaban. Only when they were safe in the four walls of St Mungos did Scorpius crumble and fall into Albus’ arms. He sobbed and sobbed, but unsure as to why. He was getting his father back. He had won. So, why did he feel like he had lost something bigger?  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cassie in Azkaban by: https://secretlydreamingofgansey.tumblr.com/
> 
> Two chapters to go after this! Hope you're all enjoying it still :)


	14. Grow up, little child.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Albus works on the potion to try and save Draco's life, but will it be enough?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick mild emotional upset warning :) Enjoy!

When Albus volunteered to make the potion, Scorpius didn’t even seem reluctant to say yes. In fact, he hugged Albus so tight with a smile on his face Albus hadn’t seen in weeks, that it made Albus’ heart constrict with love. Scorpius was, once again, blindly putting his trust in Albus to save his dads life. And Albus liked the challenge.

Where Scorpius excelled in _everything_ , Albus lacked behind. Most of his studies only went the way they did because Scorpius helped him. However, potions was his forte. Potions didn’t require any foolish wand-waving, just a steady hand. And Albus had a steady hand.

There was also a calming notion to it. Knowing everything had to be perfect – not an ounce extra of anything otherwise the thing could blow up – gave him something to focus on. It meant he could spend his time thinking about something else other than Scorpius crying every night on top of his unconscious father, or Draco lying motionless in a hospital bed. It allowed a type of catharsis. Or, at least it did when Scorpius wasn’t pacing back and forth behind him, loudly sighing and muttering to himself. Albus could _feel_ his anxiety even a whole table away.

Albus tried to ignore it. He pushed his boyfriends’ worrying to the back of his mind and tried to focus. It was hard, though. Because the potion _should_ be ready today. He had been brewing it for two weeks and the final ingredient – which should turn the potion a silver-grey colour with a slight bubble – needed to be added in just a moment.

Upon hearing Scorpius accidentally bumping into a table behind him followed by a muffled groan, Albus put down his utensils, slid his goggles into his hair and turned to face him.

“Scor,” he scolded, though he tried his best to keep the annoyance from his tone. This was the first day Scorpius had left St Mungos since the trip to Azkaban and returned to Hogwarts if only to see the final outcome of the potion. The only reason the healers at St Mungos agreed for Albus to brew the potion was because they were swamped, and Albus promised he had supervision. Though their potions professor never helped much.

Scorpius looked up at Albus, rubbing a hand over his thigh where he’d bumped into the table. “I’m distracting you, aren’t I?” And as much as Albus wanted to be annoyed with him, he just couldn’t find it in him when Scorpius was looking at him like _that._ A worried frown was etched onto his lips, his brows furrowed which were starting to create worry lines that were hopefully only temporary. He looked incredibly vulnerable. He had for weeks.

The weight of his fathers’ condition, piled on top of the trauma of the events that happened, Albus had been slowly watching Scorpius fall apart. And it was the worst thing he’d ever witnessed.

Though the worst part of it all was how he acted. At first he had fallen apart completely and that still carried through to now. However, whenever anyone asked how he was doing, he’d smile and say he was fine. But Albus didn’t miss how he never spoke to anyone but him or the healers. Whenever James or Rose or Lily visited, or even Harry and Ginny, Scorpius just wouldn’t speak unless it was absolutely imperative. It was like he couldn’t. He’d nod along to anything going on, and when addressed directly he’d just smile and nod or shake his head or shrug his shoulders. It was a slow process, at first he was okay, but the last words he’d spoken to anyone outside of him was Cassie; a whole two weeks ago.

“I’m sorry,” Scorpius said, once Albus took too long to reply. He crossed the room, bumping yet again into another table on the way, and stood next to Albus’ side. He ran a hand through Albus' hair, and Albus relished in the comfort. “Are you okay?”

That was another thing he’d do. Since Albus’ accident which was not exactly an accident, he’d be constantly asking how he was. Albus didn’t mind it, at all, but sometimes when it was three times within the space of ten minutes, it was a bit tedious. He didn’t ask so much now that time had passed, but Albus thought he asked a lot because he was worried. Scorpius cured him within moments of the spell happening, and all Albus needed when returning to the hospital wing was a blood replenishing potion and a lot of sleep. Though, he thought Scorpius worried because he didn’t believe in his own ability.

Scorpius never understood _how_ he cured Albus. He knew his magic stretched regular boundaries, but to perform a counter-curse spell on a curse he’d never heard of didn’t fit into the logics of Scorpius’ mind. And his mind worked in a very logical way. Things like fate and beliefs never made sense to him. It was why he never took Divination – he thinks it’s a load of bullshit, to put it lightly. Albus firmly believed that if Scorpius couldn’t _do_ magic, then he wouldn’t believe in that either. Which meant that to Scorpius, what happened to Albus was nothing short of a miracle, and he was simply waiting for his demise. This never put Albus at ease, but he was honestly fine. Not that Scorpius would believe that.

“I’m good, Scor,” he replied, leaning into his touch. “Are you?” Albus looked at him, knowing Scorpius found it harder to lie when looking into his eyes. Scorpius took a deep breath, searching for an answer that would no doubt suffice for Albus. When he released it, he looked at Albus.

“I’m scared,” he admitted, surprising Albus. “Are we close? Is it going to work?” He asked, peering into the cauldron full of currently purple liquid.

“We’re close,” he confirmed, ignoring the other question. Truth is, they had no idea if this was going to work or not. For all they knew, Cassie could have lied to them about this. It was a thought going through both their heads, but they both seemed to ignore it for the time being. “Okay, ready for the Unicorn hair and this should change it to a silver-grey colour,” Albus said, using one hand to hold Scorpius’ and the other to pick up the unicorn hair.

He uncapped the vial and sprinkled the remains inside. Two pieces of Unicorn hair. As it dropped into the potion, both boys held their breath. The room was so silent you could hear a pin drop. They peered over the cauldron to inspect the contents, watching as the two thin pieces of hair fizzled and sung into the potion. For a long time, nothing happened.

Scorpius pulled away slightly as a couple of tears dropped down his face. Albus had seen him cry so much over the past five weeks that he should be completely passive towards it, but it still made his heart ache. He scrambled for a way – any way – to help him but found nothing. He grabbed the piece of parchment that held the method, inspecting it closely to see if he’d gone wrong anywhere. If he had, it would be a long two weeks as the next batch brewed.

And the worst thing, he would have let Scorpius down.

Albus wasn’t prepared to do that. He wasn’t prepared to be the source of disappointment for him. So many people he loved had already let him down too much.

The thing is though: Albus hadn’t gone wrong. He had followed the instructions carefully. He had even written them down on a separate piece of parchment to make sure he’d done it and it looked identical (minus the elegant handwriting of Scorpius which had been replaced by Albus’ scrappy handwriting) to the original document.

“Did she lie to us?” Scorpius said and Albus could tell he was trying he best not to break down sobbing right there and then.

“I- er- I don’t know,” Albus stuttered. Scorpius’ hand was still fixed in his, meaning he probably wasn’t angry at him. Albus pulled his hand away, using both to search through the pieces of parchment, desperate to see where he’d gone wrong.

“Al?” Scorpius said, but Albus ignored him, searching furiously. “Albus!” He sounded more determined this time. Albus ignored him again. Scorpius reached around to stop his arms from fumbling, locking him in Scorpius’ grip. “Albus, look! Something’s happening.”

Sure enough, when Albus looked at the potion, something _was_ happening. It was starting to bubble slightly and when each bubble popped, the potion began taking the shade of a silver-grey, not unlike Scorpius’ eyes.

“It’s working!” Albus rejoiced. “Scor! It’s working!” The grin that broke out on Scorpius’ face made Albus mirror it. Scorpius tackled him into a hug, kissing his head over and over.

“You did it. Thank you, thank you, thank you,” he spoke between kisses, finally catching Albus in a passionate kiss on the lips. Albus kissed him back with just as much ardour, pushing every emotion he had into Scorpius’ lips. It was the most zealous kiss they’d shared in weeks. There had been pecks here and there, but nothing like what it used to be. Scorpius was too broken and Albus never knew exactly how to help him.

After all, he’d been battling his own demons. Those nights spent in the dormitory when Scorpius was at St Mungos were the most restless nights he had since his fourth year. Old nightmares that had fizzled over time made a spectacular reappearance, in vivid high definition. And there was no Scorpius to cry to when his anxiety got the better of him. They were accompanied by new nightmares: being hit by the curse, watching Scorpius slowly die, seeing Draco die, seeing Milo die.

Albus, however, kept quiet. Scorpius didn’t need another worry on top of everything. He did, however, speak to his dad a couple of times. There was one really bad week that he spent the nights at home because he couldn’t cope. He wasn’t ashamed to admit he’d slept in his parents bed those nights, cuddled by his mum.

“I need to… vial… it,” Albus mumbled between kisses, the words mostly going into Scorpius’ mouth.

“Right, of course. Go ahead,” he broke from him, gesturing to the potion. Albus began slowly filling up the various vials. He’d purposely made an extra batch just in case anything happened to the first. Two full vials later and they were ready to go.

“Come on,” Albus said, trying not to let the excitement take over just yet.

“Okay,” Scorpius said, visibly trying to hold his own excitement at bay. “And Albus?” Scorpius grabbed his arm, causing Albus to turn and face him.

“Hm?”

“I mean it, thank you,” he spoke with sincerity.

Albus forced a smile, “It might not work yet.”

Scorpius looked to the floor, letting go of Albus’ arms to fiddle with his fingers. “I know,” he spoke, his voice wobbling with oncoming emotion. Albus said nothing, unsure on the right words. He simply grabbed his hand and pulled him from the classroom up to the Headmistresses office.

Headmistress McGonagall greeted them kindly, already knowing why they were there. She handed them some floo powder and told Albus she’d contact his dad to let him know they were ready with the potion. She wished them luck, giving Scorpius a brief squeeze of the shoulder, and sent them on their way. She never requested either of them back to school at a certain time. Maybe it was because of their parents, or maybe the detrimental consequences of recent events, but she was much more understanding and sympathetic to their situation. It may not have been Albus’ dad in that hospital bed, but it was like she knew Scorpius needed Albus around to help him through. Whatever the situation, Albus was incredibly grateful for her kindness.

They flooed to St Mungos and Scorpius practically dragged him towards his fathers’ room. When they arrived, the healer in charge of his case was already in there, checking his vitals.

“He did it!” Scorpius announced, a childlike excitement to his tone. Albus wished he wouldn’t get too excited too fast.

“The potion?” Healer Bones asked, her lips contorted into a thin line.

“Yeah,” Albus replied, pulling a vial from his bag and handing it to the healer. She inspected it through a pair of rounded glasses.

“Are we sure?” She asked now, getting out a syringe from a drawer next to Draco’s bed. Albus and Scorpius shared an uneasy look, knowing the same doubts. Finally, Albus spoke up.

“We don’t have any other option,” he admitted. Scorpius’ shoulders slumped as he approached Draco’s bed. He took one of his frail hands and cupped it in his own.

“I’ll have to inject it. I don’t want to risk waking him in case the other potion has gone too far for consciousness,” she explained, placing the contents of the vial into the syringe she pulled out moments ago. Scorpius nodded numbly, eyes raking over his fathers’ unconscious form before closing them and swallowing a lump.

Harry and Ginny arrived just before Healer Bones was going to inject the potion into Draco’s bloodstream. Harry instantly placed his arms on Albus’ shoulder, whilst Ginny went to comfort Scorpius. However, he barely acknowledged her presence.

It was so quiet when Healer Bones injected the potion into Draco that Albus was sure the entire world stopped for a moment. All music stopped playing, all cars stopped driving, all babies stopped crying and all children stopped laughing. All the leaves stopped falling from the trees, the rain stopped pouring, the birds stopped singing.

Nothing.

The whole world stopped and stared at them. The whole world anticipated for that moment.

“Dad?” Scorpius' frail voice broke the silence and the world returned to normal. Draco never stirred. Healer Bones performed some sort of spell, which Albus presumed was to bring him from his magical coma. Another spell brought up an image of Draco’s form from his wand, with various colours over certain parts of his body. Albus didn’t know what any of them meant, but he assumed red was not good.

“Daddy?” Scorpius sobbed again, his hand squeezing Draco’s so tight Albus swore there was little blood getting to them. “Please.” There were fast, hot tears streaming down his blushed cheeks. “Dad, wake up. Wake up. Don’t leave me, please.”

Scorpius’ head fell onto his fathers’ chest as he sobbed and sobbed. It had been like this a lot, but now something seemed certain.

They had failed.

Albus had failed.

He pulled himself from his dad’s grip to stand next to Scorpius. As soon as he placed a hand on his shoulder, Scorpius jumped into him so fast Albus nearly lost his footing. Scorpius’ arms wrapped around him, the back of Albus’ robes fisted into his hands and head buried in Albus’ neck. Albus started crying himself.

“Tell me it’s not happening,” Scorpius sobbed, his voice so muffled and brittle that Albus barely caught the words. “Please, Albus.”

Albus said nothing. He couldn’t lie to him.

Scorpius had gone limp in his arms. Albus was sure that if he let go, Scorpius would crumple to the floor. So, Albus would never let go. If Scorpius needed him to hold him up, then hold him up he shall. He would let his arms grow weak and his body grow tired before he gave up on Scorpius, and right now letting him go felt a lot like giving him up.

Out of the corner of his eye, Albus saw Draco twitch.

He almost didn’t let himself believe it, and probably wouldn’t have if Healer Bones didn’t react herself.

“Scorpius,” he said firmly, so Scorpius would know he meant business. Scorpius shook his head against him. Albus took a quick glance at Healer Bones, his eyes asking the only question that mattered. When she nodded, Albus let himself breathe. “It worked, love,” he mumbled against him.

Scorpius froze, his sobs coming to a stop in an instant. Slowly, he pulled away from Albus, finding his footing. However, he never turned to Draco, he stared directly at Albus. His eyes were bloodshot, stray tears he hadn’t been able to stop still streaming down his already tear-stained cheeks. He stared for a long time, swallowing the lumps in his throat before finding his voice.

“Really?” Was all he managed, voice trembling. Albus nodded softly, hoping the small smile on his face would do more reassurance.

Scorpius spun slowly on his heels, eventually facing Draco. There wasn’t much movement from the bed still, but if you looked closely, his breathing was steadier and faster than it had been before. If Scorpius put his ear over his chest, his heartbeat would be stronger. Scorpius grabbed his hand again, feeling it becoming slightly warmer by the second. Draco may not have been dead before, but he was as good as. This now was a reawakening. This was essentially raising the dead. Like a phoenix from the ash.

Albus watched the image of Draco’s body coming from Healer Bones’ wand, watching as the red was slowly replaced by sparks of silver and gold – magic.

Ginny embraced Albus and wiped the tears that had fallen before. She smiled down at him, but Albus kept his eyes trained on his boyfriend and Draco, watching the sweet reunion. When Draco’s eyes finally fluttered open, the grin that overtook Scorpius’ features could win wars and cure blood maledictions. It was bright, illuminous, breath-taking and real. It was his first genuine – really genuine – smile in weeks.

Albus swore to himself right there and then that he would do _everything_ in his power to help keep that smile on Scorpius’ face. He would fight and win every bully. He would fight and win every battle. He would fight and win every war. Heck, he would even fight and win death if that’s what it came to, because that was what that smile was worth. It was worth the destruction of the world. It deserved to be written in the stars, hung with the moon and shining with sun.

“Dad,” Scorpius whispered, barely audible.

“Hey, my little dragon,” Draco replied, his own voice weak and hoarse. Draco reached up to run a hand over Scorpius’ face, tears sparkling behind his grey eyes. He probably didn’t have much knowledge of what was going on but seeing his son in such a state must have been enough.

“Come on,” Ginny whispered to him. “Let’s let them have their moment,” she guided Albus out the hospital room, Harry swiftly following behind them. Outside, Albus let himself breathe.

All was well. Everything will be okay.

 

* * *

 

 

“Dad, I don’t have to go back yet. I could stay another day or two? McGonagall won’t mind,” Scorpius rambled over breakfast. He had cooked for his dad that morning, knowing it would be more effort for Draco than needed.

Draco had been released from St Mungos the day previous, after spending two days recuperating. Scorpius had begged him to let him stay at the Manor for at least a day to make sure he was alright, even though he had missed a great deal of school already. Scorpius didn’t mind, he wouldn’t take long to catch up.

“You have to go back Scorpius,” his father said, no-nonsense.

“But it’s the weekend!” He protested.

“Perfect for you to catch up with all your missed work, then,” Draco was relentless. Scorpius let out a loud sigh, picking at the eggs on his plate. It was the first bit of food he’d eaten properly since the whole ordeal, but somehow still found it unappealing. The only reason he scoffed it down was because his dad was giving him _that_ look. One of the first things Draco did upon getting used to his surroundings was comment on how much weight Scorpius had lost. Scorpius ignored him in favour of rolling his eyes.

“Fine,” he relented, sighing louder for dramatic effect.

Silence fell between them as they finished their breakfast. Scorpius had to admit, he was excited about going back to Hogwarts properly. He had honestly missed the place, it was his home after all. Well, it felt more like a home than the Manor did most days. The Manor was a lonely, lonely place. Scorpius wasn’t sure how his father coped now that his mother wasn’t around.

After breakfast, Scorpius went and collected the last of his belongings – not that he had much. Many of his things had been taken back to Hogwarts already curtesy of Albus, who insisted on doing something useful. When Scorpius returned with his small number of belongings, his father was leaning on his cane in the living room, staring at the portrait of his mother on the wall.

Scorpius watched him a moment, how he swayed slightly on his feet. The cane was more for balance than anything. The potion had almost taken his life, and the weeks of unconsciousness did little for his muscles. He would recover fully, the healers were sure of it, but for now whilst he regained his strength, the cane was a helpful tool. Scorpius also thought Draco thought it made him look cool. That was far from the truth.

Scorpius moved from the doorway to his side on quiet footsteps, looking at the portrait of his mother as well. For a long time after her death, Scorpius never went in the living room. It was her space – other than the library but the library was _their_ space – and it felt wrong to invade on it. This was where she’d come for a quiet cup of tea and to read the paper. When she got really sick, she would often fall asleep on the sofa until Draco got home from work. Sometimes, Scorpius curled up with her. So, it had been hard to enter here, especially when the portrait got hung.

It was too painful.

It was painful now to look at her in all her brightness and happiness. Scorpius was never one for art, but this one seemed to capture every ounce of her essence.

“She was beautiful, wasn’t she?” Scorpius spoke, tears prickling in his eyes.

“She was,” his father agreed, a small amount of emotion in his voice that Scorpius barely caught it. Scorpius looked from his father to the portrait and back again. Thoughts of Cassie clouded his thoughts. Of her deep brown eyes that looked so much like Astoria’s. Of her white blonde hair resembling perfectly that of a Malfoys.

“Dad, I think we need to talk,” Scorpius said. Draco looked down at him, his features shaded with confusion, but upon settling his eyes on Scorpius, everything seemed to click in place. They hadn’t spoken of her, not even in passing. He never asked what become of either of them, so Scorpius never told. Though, he suspected Harry had filled him in at some point.

“Very well,” he spoke, voice that of authority as usual.

Scorpius sat on his proclaimed armchair, one he’d only claimed since being able to step foot in this room again. Draco sat on the two-seater sofa next to it, resting his cane next to his leg. Scorpius watched in surprise as his dad fumbled slightly with the tip of his cane. His dad _never_ fumbled with anything, only showcasing his nerves.

“Cassie,” Scorpius spoke, the single word sending shivers down his spine. Draco sighed and fumbled in the pockets of his robes before pulling out his wallet. He handed it to Scorpius. Scorpius took it, a questioning look shadowing his features.

“Open it,” Draco requested, so he did. He had seen the inside of his fathers’ wallet many times before. There were three pictures in there in total. Two of Scorpius as a baby and the final one of he and Astoria.

“I don’t get it,” Scorpius sighed, shrugging his shoulders.

“What do you see?” Draco wasn’t making eye contact with him now.

“Me and mum and you.”

Draco leaned over, pointing a finger at one of the baby pictures. “That’s not you,” he explained. Scorpius looked at him, but he was still refusing to meet his. “That is Cassiopeia, just 4 days old.” Scorpius looked closely at the picture, taking in everything. She was basically bald, only small tufts of blonde hair sprouting from her head. It looked like she wore a smile, but no doubt she had just been fed. She was wrapped in a white blanket like a burrito and Scorpius knew the blanket – it was the same one that had been inside his wardrobe since he was five, long untouched.

“You kept her picture,” he spoke softly. There was something incredibly sentimental about it. Even after all these years, even after knowing his daughter was long gone from him, he kept her picture. Scorpius wondered how long after this picture had she been taken from them.

“Of course, she was everything. Our first born, we never even believed she could be born and then she was. She was…”

“Your miracle,” Scorpius finished when Draco trailed off, admittingly bitterly. Draco finally looked to him.

“No. She was a blessing yes, but then she was taken from us. We never believed we could have a child after that because of your mums’ condition, and then there was the fear you’d be taken too. We fought for Cassiopeia, but it was hopeless, so we started a new fight. You.” There was a part of him that maybe should have been moved by the speech, but honestly he was still quite bitter.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Mostly because we didn’t know how to bring it up.”

“So you… lied to me?” He looked up the portrait of his mum, shining in all her glory, and frowned. It was the first time he’d ever felt any sort of contempt towards her and he didn’t like it. “She lied to me,” he mumbled because that was somehow worse. His father had always been shut off from him, had never always been completely honest. But, his mum? She hung the stars for him, and Scorpius just found out she had been keeping a secret from him his entire life. What was he supposed to think about that?

“We didn’t lie, we kept a secret. Those two are not the same thing.” He could tell his father was desperately trying to keep his cool, but Draco Malfoy never had the best temper.

“Not much in it, though. You could have told me. We went to the same school and just because you and mum couldn’t have a relationship with her doesn’t mean I cou-” he cut himself off. What he was about to say was incredibly selfish. It was true though, and maybe if he could have built a relationship with his sister then this whole mess wouldn’t have happened. Or at least, she wouldn’t have been so involved. She wouldn’t be rotting in Azkaban right now.

“Look, Scorpius,” Draco started, anger creeping into his tone. “I know you’re mad about what happened with Cassie, but if giving her up was the only way to have you then I would do it a thousand times over.”

“I’m not mad about Cassie!” Scorpius exclaimed, rising to his fathers’ level. “I’m mad that my entire childhood was built off a lie! I spent my childhood trapped in this house. You sentenced me to isolation for a crime I didn’t commit. For a crime you committed!” He pointed an accusing finger at him. “And for what?” Scorpius asked. His father, stunned, never responded.

“For me?” Scorpius asked. “Was I worth it? Was your ‘little miracle’ worth it?” He air-quoted. “But I wasn’t really your miracle though, was I?”

“Scorpius-”

“Cassie was. She must have been. You said she was a blessing and how different is a blessing from a miracle?”

“Scorp-”

“So, where does that put me? Aside from second best, of course. Aside from a replacement.” Scorpius knew he was pushing it too far. He knew he was hurting his father by his words, but somehow it made him want to push him more. Maybe he was looking for his dad to just admit it, because it was obvious it was true. Scorpius had the power of facts behind him. But, he also knew his father would never admit anything of a sort knowing it would hurt his son. That was one thing: at least Scorpius knew he was loved, even though Draco hardly ever admitted it.

“An heir?” Scorpius asked when Draco seemed set on staying silent. “Is that all I am? Because I’m a pretty rubbish one, being gay and all. Perfect karma I guess.”

“You are more than an heir,” he protested, finally finding his voice. Scorpius clearly hit a soft spot. However, Scorpius never faltered. Instead, he raised a single eyebrow and held his dads’ gaze.

“Was I worth making mum sick?” Scorpius regretted the words almost as soon as he said them.

The words hung in the air, floating through space and time, passing between them like a game of tennis. They sunk in deep, hitting them where it hurt the most. They sunk and sunk beneath the ocean, washed away at shore only to crash back up moments later. They burned holes into their skin, forever brandished by that simple question. Haunted. Haunted by words. Haunted by the implications.

Draco Malfoy had never – _ever_ – told his son that childbirth made Astoria weak. He never wanted Scorpius to feel guilty for existing, yet somehow he had found out. It was true, Cassie had made Astoria weak, but Scorpius effectively severed her lifespan over half. It was a risk they were both willing to take, knowing they’d still get years together. Knowing, she’d at least get to see Scorpius off to Hogwarts.

“How do you…?” Draco trailed off.

“I overheard you and mum talking about it one night,” Scorpius admitted.

“Scorpius, let me speak for a moment,” Draco spoke, his voice back to that authoritative tone. Scorpius sighed, and lifted his gaze from the floor to his father. He tried not to feel responsible for the pain behind his silver eyes, but knew he was the cause of it. He was the cause of a lot of pain recently, it seemed.

“Me and your mum love you. We sacrificed a lot to have you, including your freedom and your mothers’ health, but it was something we agreed on. We wanted _you_ so badly - and not because we wanted an heir, but because we wanted a child – that we took drastic measures. Your mum was more than happy to sacrifice her health for you. And you were worth it.”

“But by sacrificing her health she sacrificed being a mum,” he sniffed, unable to keep back the overbearing emotions. He was so tired of crying, yet it seemed to be the only thing he could do. He had cried enough tears in the last five weeks to fill a swimming pool.

“She was still your mum. She still _is_ your mum,” Draco spoke, his tone softer now than it had ever been. They never spoke about her. Ever. After her death, Draco shut down and left Scorpius alone in his grief. He could barely say her name, let alone look at his son – the only reminder he had of her. Maybe it wouldn’t have been so hard for him if Scorpius was more of a Malfoy, but unfortunately for Draco he was his mothers’ son through and through. Scorpius was Astoria – not a Greengrass or a Malfoy, but purely Astoria. Of course, Draco would never change that for the world.

“Look, Scorpius. We love you, no matter what. I’m sorry we lied and kept things from you. I’d love to say it was to protect you in some way, but honestly it was pure selfishness. I was so worried when you were growing up that you’d learn things about me and grow to hate me. I thought keeping this from you was one step in preventing that from happening. I realise that it all coming out now probably made it worse.” He hung his head.

Scorpius shook his head, even though his father wasn’t looking. “I don’t hate you,” he spoke softly. Draco looked up at him. “I’m sorry for snapping. I don’t hate you, dad. I could never hate you. I thought I lost you,” Scorpius dropped his gaze now, not wanting to look at his dad. “There was a moment when nothing happened, and I was so sure you were gone. And all I could think was that I couldn’t do this without-” he paused to sniff away his tears. “Y-you. I- I was going to lose both my parents before I even turned sixteen. Surely, the world couldn’t be that terrible to me.”

“But, I’m here now, my little dragon,” Draco spoke quickly, moving off the sofa to kneel next to Scorpius and place a hand on his knee. He used the other hand to wipe away his tears.

Scorpius chuckled slightly. “You haven’t called me that since I was about six.” Draco chuckled softly with him, now stroking a hand through his hair. “I love you, dad.”

“I love you, Scorpius,” he replied, reaching up to place a kiss on his forehead. Scorpius dropped onto the floor on his knees and embraced his dad, burying his head in his neck. It felt incredibly childish, craving your dad for this kind of comfort, but after the weeks he had, Scorpius was allowed to be a child again.

After all, the world had forced him to grow up too soon. It had a cruel tendency to do that. Even to those who deserve the most happiness.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please enjoy adorable little potioneer Albus by: https://secretlydreamingofgansey.tumblr.com/
> 
> ONE CHAPTER TO GO! I really hope you've all enjoyed this rollercoaster! All the love!
> 
> Feedback welcome, it gives me hope and joy!  
> Twitter: @cryingbcbooks  
> Tumblr: @anarcherboyandawarlock


	15. An Innocent.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scorpius and Albus deal with the aftermath of recent events.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **TRIGGER WARNINGS*** for PTSD, Depression, Guilt, Anxiety and Grief, stay safe xoxo

Stepping back into the Great Hall felt like a breath of fresh air. Scorpius inhaled, filling his nostrils with all the various scents of delicacies placed across the tables for lunch. As much as he didn’t want to leave his father behind, he had missed this. This, the comradery and friendship, the warmth and comfort that stemmed from noisy Hogwarts students shouting across tables and fighting for the last treacle tart.

It felt and smelled like home. And Scorpius was glad to be back.

The last time he’d seen the Great Hall was in distress and disarray, with students crying and crawling to each other for comfort. With teachers panicking to keep them safe. The last time he’d seen the Great Hall, he watched a fellow student die.

The laughter of the students faded into sobs. The happiness faded to panic. Gryffindor robes became blood splatter and that student that fell from the bench became Milo.

Everything faded to black and Scorpius tried to catch his breath. The room swam around him, noise amplified in his ears, the screams, the sobs, the panic, the hurt and pain and sound of a body hitting the floor. The noise drowned into one, droning and drilling through his brain, combined with his rapidly beating heart sounding in his ears.

He span on his heels, blindly pulling himself from the hall with what was left of his rational mind. He barely noticed the girl he tumbled into, sending him flying to the floor. He didn’t care, he just needed out. He needed to breathe. He couldn’t breathe. There was no air at all and all he could see was blood and all he could hear was screams and there nothing there. No air, no space to breathe, no space to think. His mind was running circles, over and over and over and over and crushing against his lungs and for Merlin sake _breathe._

“Scorpius?” A voice penetrated through his walls, through all the screams and sobs and it was gentle. “Scorpius?” It asked again, then a hand was on his shoulder. “What’s happening, tell me what you need?” He recognised the voice, but couldn’t place it right now, his mind was too busy. His hands flew to his hair, as though running fingers through it and pulling at it would stop the flow of thoughts.

“Al…” he managed. “Albus,” and that one word seemed to take all his energy.

“I don’t know where he is, oh Merlin okay.” The voice was starting to sound panicked now, too. “JAMES!” She shouted, clearly spotting someone she knew.

“Lily? What’s up?” James looked at his sister, then down at Scorpius.

“I don’t know!”

“He’s having a panic attack,” James said. Scorpius could recognise their voices now, could place them easy in the midst of his panic. It never did much to calm him. Then, he felt firm hands on his arms. “Scorpius? Can you hear me? I need you to try and calm down, okay? Tell me what you see.”

“Bl- bl- blood,” he trembled. “And…” nothing. Because there was nothing else. Just red.

“There’s no blood. You need to try and focus,” he was trying his best to keep his voice calm. “What do you hear?”

“Screaming… eve – everybody – screaming.”

“Fuck, okay,” James took a hand off his arm for a moment and placed it back there quickly. “What do you feel?”

“Your hands.”

“Okay, good, focus on that. Okay, focus on my touch. What does it feel like?” James trailed his hands up Scorpius’ arm, eventually reaching where Scorpius’ hands were knotted in his hair and pulling at them softly. Scorpius let go, allowing James to take both his hands.

“They feel rough… calloused – real. They feel real.” The whirring in his mind dulled to a faint buzz and the screams finally stopped. His lungs opened, making way for air to enter his system, though he still felt breathless. Scorpius raised his eyes to look at James, panting hard, taking in his features to ground himself further. “Do you ever moisturise?”

James broke out into a chuckle, followed shortly by Lily. Scorpius let himself smile, too, despite his weariness. His breathing was still uneven, just starting to settle.

“You okay, buddy?” Scorpius nodded numbly, working his way through to a full recovery.

“Thank you,” Scorpius said, honestly, finally grounding himself.

“I didn’t know you had panic attacks,” Lily said, sitting herself down next to Scorpius.

“Me? Please, I’m a walking, talking ball of anxiety,” he joked, but it fell short. Not even Scorpius felt like laughing much at his _own_ joke. He sighed. “They aren’t usually that bad,” he admitted. He hated having panic attacks, they made him feel weak. Usually Albus could put a stop to them instantly, but Albus wasn’t around. However, Scorpius was thankful that it was Lily and James he bumped into and not some random person who had it out for him.

“Your magic seemed fine,” James pointed out.

“I’m pretty much in complete control now, due to certain... circumstances,” he explained. It was true, the whole ordeal with Delphi and Cassie had given him the experience to control his magic. His catastrophic emotions recently had barely touched him, where before those kind of emotions would have destroyed everything in his wake. It felt strange at first, not having it unwillingly tingle at his fingertips, but he felt safer. He felt like everyone else was safer for it. And it was a small comfort knowing he could call upon it whenever he wanted.

“Do you want to come sit with us for lunch?” Lily asked, and James nodded alongside her. Scorpius looked back into the Great Hall, of the laughter and cheers and suddenly lost his appetite.

How could they sit there laughing when such horrors had happened in that room? How could they pretend that a boy hadn’t lost his life? How could they move on so easily? _It’s been two months_ , a voice in the back of his mind spoke. Maybe it was he who was being irrational. Maybe, two months was plenty of time for others to recover from an event that never directly affected them. Scorpius envied them all.

“I’m not hungry, but thank you,” he spoke, leaning in to place a kiss on Lily’s cheek. She half-hugged him and rested her forehead against his cheek. When Scorpius pulled away and looked at James, James cheekily smiled at him.

“Don’t think about kissing my cheek, Malfoy,” he quipped.

“Please,” Scorpius responded. “I already have a Potter boy at my every command.”

James gasped, feigning shock. “I knew it! I knew you had some kind of spell over him. Now, I must defeat you!” Without warning, James dived on top of Scorpius, pinning him to the floor.

“James, please,” Scorpius spoke, fighting back a laugh and a smile.

“I’ll get off when you smile.” Just to prove a point, Scorpius frowned, still fighting hard against the smile threatening to make an appearance.

Scorpius cocked his head to the side and wiggled his fingers threateningly at James, even those his wrists were pinned to the floor. “Are you forgetting I can do wandless magic?”

“You wouldn’t,” James spoke. Scorpius allowed one corner of his lips to curve into a cheeky smile, wiggled his fingers again to make sure James had caught on. Finally, he lifted his head slightly, so he was closer to James.

“BOO,” he shouted. Scorpius and Lily both burst into giggles as James threw himself off Scorpius.

“Okay, wow. Hardy har har,” James joked, pulling himself into a sitting position where he flung himself. Scorpius was still lying on the floor, but he keeled over in attempts to ease his stomach from hurting where he laughed so hard. His head ended up in Lily’s lap as they both laughed till they cried tears and James sulked just a short distance from them.

“What the bloody hell is going on here?” There was a new voice to the mix, the voice of Albus Potter. Albus stood, half-amused and half-confused, over the group of teenagers – two still in fits of laughter and one with his legs crossed and arms folded in faux-annoyance. Upon seeing his brother, James eased up.

“I was trying to get your boyfriend to laugh, a frown does not suit his pretty face,” James explained, and showcased his work to Albus: his work being Scorpius nearly crying from laughter.

Scorpius and Lily managed to compose themselves, by doing this they had to avoid eye contact with both each other and James, or it would start up again. It led to them both staring at Albus and fighting the smiles off their faces. Scorpius reached up and grabbed his hands, pulling him down to the floor. Only because Albus loved him did he allow himself to stoop to their level.

“Hey, you,” Scorpius said, pecking Albus on the lips. “Your brother thinks I’m pretty,” he said, looking briefly at James, sending a wink and forcing the laughter down again.

“Don’t encourage him,” Albus replied, fondly rolling his eyes.

“Well, I’m starved. Come on, Lulu,” James said, standing up and pulling Lily with him. He patted Scorpius on the back, a silent gesture saying: _I’m glad you’re okay._

Once they were out of sight, Albus pulled Scorpius to his feet and headed for the Great Hall, but Scorpius pulled out of his grip.

“You okay?” Albus asked, softly. Scorpius shook his head slowly, reverting back to the frown previously etched on his face. “What’s wrong?” Albus grabbed his hands, holding them firmly and rubbing his thumb over his knuckles.

“I had a panic attack,” he admitted. “James and Lily found me and helped me, hence why we were on the floor. I’m not hungry and I’ve a lot of work to catch up on so…” he trailed off, eyes flicking from the Great Hall to Albus and back. Albus seemed to understand the silent communication because he nodded.

“Okay, well, let me just grab something and we’ll go to the dorm, or library or wherever you want, okay?” Scorpius nodded. Albus squeezed his hand once more before disappearing into the busy hall. Scorpius took a deep breath and rubbed his eyes, waiting for his return.

 

* * *

 

 

Over the next two weeks, Albus saw a change in Scorpius. One he did not like at all.

He had hoped that once he got back to Hogwarts with his dad healthy, that he would revert back to the Scorpius that he always was. The excitable, shining, dorky, happy puppy that Albus had fallen in love with. He had hoped – beyond all hope – that this wouldn’t have left him scarred. Unfortunately, the events did exactly that.

It wasn’t a slow process, either. It happened straight away. Maybe it had happened whilst his dad had been sick, but he never had chance to think about anything at the time and now everything was back to normal, maybe they felt far from normal. Albus didn’t know because Scorpius was trying his damn hardest to keep Albus from seeing there was anything wrong.

Over the past two weeks, he still hadn’t stepped foot in the Great Hall. Albus could feel the anxiety radiating off him when they even got close. It had become routine for Albus to go in and get their food and for them to eat it either in the comfort of their dorm or in the library.

Homework never excited him anymore, not like it used to. He would do it and he wouldn’t complain about it, but before he used to _enjoy_ it and now it seemed like he did it because he didn’t have a choice (much like any normal student). He wouldn’t get excited for History of Magic (his favourite subject). He never answered questions in class (seriously, the teachers were starting to get worried). Albus hadn’t even seen him pick up a book for pleasure in the whole two weeks he’d been back – and Scorpius loved reading for pleasure!

Then there was his sleep. He would never sleep at night. Maybe a few hours here and there, but mostly he stayed up. On the occasions he did sleep, he would be roused by a horrific nightmare and refuse to sleep for the rest of the night. Instead, he’d nap in between classes and before it got dark, then spend the night doing homework in Albus’ bed whilst he slept.

Albus’ nightmares, however, had lessoned slightly in his company. They were still there, and still bad, but whenever he woke from them it was never in a blind panic anymore. It was just like waking up from a normal sleep. It was lucky, because it meant Scorpius never noticed something was off and if he ever was inquisitive, Albus would brush him off. Scorpius was suffering enough, he didn’t need to worry about Albus too.

Scorpius had a panic attack nearly every day, usually at night when he was left alone in the dark with his thoughts. He had one last week when they went to Hogsmeade and caught a glimpse of the Hogs Head Inn, the abandoned pub where Delphi had kept them. Albus managed to find James and he apparated them as close to Hogwarts as he could get, and as far from the pub as possible.

He was suffering. Really suffering. And Albus had no idea what to do.

Today was the first day they’d made it until after dinner and Scorpius still hadn’t had some sort of panic attack. Albus made a mental note as he slipped back into the chair opposite Scorpius and spread their dinner in front of them. Albus had popped to the Great Hall to fetch them something. Scorpius never looked up from his book. His eyes raked across the page at a pace slower than usual, his quill held precariously in his hand as wayward ink dripped onto the parchment.

He was away with the fairies. Tucked into his own mind like he so often did.

See, there were two types of panic attacks for Scorpius: the first was blind panic, where he couldn’t catch his breath and if he tried hard enough could probably give himself a heart attack; the second was when he’d lose himself in his own thoughts, clawing away at his thoughts with self-deprecating venomous words as he blamed everything that happened on himself. Albus took longer to recognise the second one, but it was there. It was probably more prominent, Scorpius so easily lost himself in his head.

Albus sighed and plucked the quill from Scorpius’ fingers. He barely noticed. “What’s wrong?” Albus asked. Scorpius snapped from his reverie to look at him, grey eyes clouded with ghosts.

“Nothing,” he lied.

“Your heads not in it,” Albus responded, not wanting to directly accuse him of lying, but working around it in a way he knows Scorpius will eventually spill. “We’re doing homework, your heads always in homework.”

Scorpius sighed, rubbing his eyes with his hands. “I don’t think my heads been in anything lately,” he admitted. _There it is,_ Albus thought. “It’s just so loud.” Now that he thought about it, it made sense. The way Scorpius would rub at his eyes and temples made Albus just think he had a headache, but now he realised that it was his way of telling his brain to shut up.

“Loud?” Albus questioned, hoping to draw more out of him. This is the most open he’d been in weeks. He’d admit to panic attacks and would always want Albus around, but he never spoke about anything. He hadn’t mentioned the events, he hadn’t mentioned his father – though Albus knew he wrote to him every day. He was quiet – too quiet – which only explained the noise in his head. He wasn’t letting it out.

“I don’t know how else to explain it,” he looked at Albus again, anguish in his tired eyes. Albus wished he would sleep more. “I like being with you though.” Scorpius started tapping his fingers on the table, creating a gentle melody.

“Me?” Albus prompted.

“Yeah, whenever we’re in the dorm, or even now like studying. This sounds stupid because we’re always together but when it’s just us - alone – more… intimate,” he blushed at that. “I don’t know. You make things quiet. You make me feel like – I don’t know – like, like I’m not falling apart.” Scorpius pulled his legs onto the chair, hugging his knees. His nails were digging into his arm – an act that didn’t go unnoticed to Albus. It’s ironic, really. Albus wanted a confession, wanted him to admit something was wrong, but now that he had, Albus had no idea what to say.

“I’m sorry,” Scorpius said when Albus took too long to respond. His gaze was trained on his ink pot like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

“Sorry?” Albus asked, perplexed.

“It’s a horrible burden to put on someone… I don’t want to tell you I need you, Albus, but I -” he cut himself off, whether it was because he didn’t want to admit it, or because he couldn’t find the words. Albus saved him from his predicament.

“I need you, too,” he admitted. Scorpius lifted his gaze, and for the first time he managed to hold it. “When you weren’t here, I’m ashamed to admit I was a little bit lost.” Albus stood and walked around the desk, perching himself slightly on the desk next to Scorpius – who was still curled into a ball in his chair. Albus pulled his hand from his arms, revealing the crescent shaped marks but not bringing it up. Instead, he grabbed one of Scorpius’ hands and played with it, his fragile fingers feeling cold against Albus’ warmth. “I didn’t want to burden you. You were figuring your own things out, and I know you’re not handling it well, so I didn’t want to pile anything else on top.”

Scorpius’ grey eyes bore into his soul, like he was trying to read his every thought. The silence settled between them, comfortable and welcoming. After a moment, Scorpius placed his feet back on the floor, so he was sitting normally, and pulled Albus onto his lap. Albus never protested, a fell into him, melting into his form instantly.

“You’re not a burden, Albus Potter.” Scorpius whispered, stroking a gentle hand over his cheek. “You can come to me. I don’t want you to feel like you can’t.”

“Same goes for you. Talk to me, Scor. I’m no use if you don’t.”

“I’ll try,” he mumbled against him. Albus wrapped his arms around his neck and pulled him into his chest. Albus pressed a few gentle kisses into his hair, allowing himself to wrap up in Scorpius’ warmth. He ignored that he felt skinnier than usual and just let himself enjoy being in the arms of his love.

“I’m tired of Ancient Runes,” Scorpius mumbled against him. “How about we head back to the dorm for a post dinner nap?” Albus suddenly remembered their uneaten food he’d brought from the Great Hall. He decided he’d try and bargain with Scorpius, because there was no way he’d get away with only eating scraps for much longer.

“How about,” Albus started, gently messaging Scorpius’ scalp. “We eat this food and then finish our homework and try and sleep tonight?” He felt Scorpius slump beneath him. He never thought Albus noticed his new eating and sleeping habits, but he did. Albus noticed everything. “We’re being open and honest with each other, right?” Scorpius nodded, albeit reluctantly. “I’m worried about you,” Albus admitted.

Scorpius hugged him tighter, squeezing him as if trying to extract every last ounce of comfort he could find. Finally, he pulled away and looked up at Albus. He pouted his lips and stretched his neck, but he couldn’t quite reach Albus. Albus gave in and met him halfway, their lips meeting in the softest, most gentle kiss. It was short and sweet and kind. It said so many words that Scorpius couldn’t find to say himself _: don’t you worry about me. I’m working on it. Trust me._ And Albus did trust him.

“I’ll try harder,” Scorpius promised, his voice a broken whisper. Albus kissed him again, fiercer this time and with only one message: _thank you._

Scorpius smirked as they pulled away, a face Albus hadn’t seen him pull in a very, very long time. He played with the collar of Albus’ shirt, his eyes distant as he thought about something. He dropped his hand and leaned around Albus, pulling the plate of food closer to him.

“How about,” Scorpius started, mocking Albus’ earlier tone, “we eat and then we forget about homework and you take me back to the dorm and snog me senseless until I forget my own name?” Albus tried not to laugh at his failed attempts at being sexy, knowing this was the closest to the old Scorpius as he was going to get. Also, the offer was way too tempting.

Albus smirked back at him, delighted in seeing the light coming back into his eyes. They had been so cold recently, so distant and empty. It was nice to see a spark of how they used to be.

“Deal,” Albus said, kissing him lightly again before leaving the warmth of his lap for the cold of the library chair. They sat and ate, making eyes at each other from across the table before heading to the dorm and closing themselves off behind curtains.

Albus marked the day as a good one – Scorpius never had a bad panic attack, and it ended in a blissful make-out session. Maybe things were starting to look up.

 

* * *

 

 

True to his word, Scorpius did try harder. Things weren’t perfect, but he was eating more and sleeping more. He stopped napping so much in the day which meant he could sleep longer at night. Sleep – for both of them – was still clouded by nightmares, but they were getting a little easier to handle.

Now they had both openly admitted they were struggling, Albus never felt the need to hide his dreams anymore and found comfort in Scorpius in the nights he would wake from a nightmare. He was there, every single night, to hold him. And Albus was there for him every single night when he woke from his own nightmares.

The nights were the worst. The days passed with ease compared to the nights. At night, all the pain and anguish and fear was lived all over again.

Albus woke that night without Scorpius by his side, because the boy in question was pacing back and forth, his hands squeezing harshly against his temples and eyes shut in contempt. He was muttering something, but Albus couldn’t tell what. Albus cast another silencing charm to ensure their dormmates could not hear them.

“Scor?” Albus asked, rubbing his tired eyes. He lit his wand and placed it on the bedside table, so the light shone softly in the small space, illuminating against Scorpius’ hair. If Scorpius noticed him, he didn’t show it. His pacing got faster, and he tugged harder on his hair, the strands trapped between his fingers. “Scor?” Albus said again, louder this time. Scorpius stopped and looked at him, his eyes full to the brim with anticipating tears.

“I’M TRYING,” he screamed, way louder than needed. But it was not a scream of anger, it was one of anguish – one of fear. “But it won’t shut up, Albus. It won’t!” He was banging the heel of his hands against his temples, his face distressed as the tears began falling down his cheeks. “Make it stop please, make it shut up!”

Albus scrambled out of bed, catching Scorpius’ arms just in time before they hit against his head again. Albus tried not to go into a blind panic himself as he watched Scorpius fall victim to the demons inside his head.

“Make what stop?” Albus asked, willing his voice to be calm. He didn’t deserve this, Scorpius never deserved this kind of pain.

“The guilt,” he cried. “It’s killing me. It’s eating me alive from the inside and it’s fucking suffocating,” as if to prove his point, Scorpius pressed his hands hard against his chest.

“What guilt?”

“Milo.” _Oh._ “He’s _dead_ because of me.” Albus had no idea he was keeping this in. Albus assumed it was everything else. He had no idea he was harbouring the guilt of Milo’s death. Albus knew exactly how he felt. He knew how suffocating it was. After all, Craig Bowker Jr would still be alive if not for Albus.

“And I can’t deal with it anymore. He’s dead! Dead. And because of me and I don’t know what to do. I had to watch it and hear it and hear Lara scream and see him crumple to the floor and the blood and I couldn’t save him, and I can’t even go in the hall because every time I do I see him and it’s killing me and this,” he pointed at his head, “won’t stop reminding me.” He broke down, dropping to his knees in his anguish.

Albus knelt down next to him, feeling utterly useless. He knew no words he had to share would have any meaning. He knew it because last year when Scorpius tried reassuring him with the same words, they did little to help. He still felt the crushing guilt over his dead classmate, and that was something he couldn’t save Scorpius from. But he still had to try, because he couldn’t watch him fall apart like this.

“Scorpius.” Nothing. “Scorpius,” he said, firmer. Albus grabbed his arms again. “Scorpius, look at me,” it must have been from the authoritative tone because Scorpius looked from the floor into Albus’ eyes. “Milo dying is _not_ your fault. And I know you won’t believe me, but you did not kill him. Delphi and Cassie killed him. He got himself wrapped up in that and that killed him. Okay, not you.”

“But-”

“No. You. Did. Not. Kill. Milo.” Scorpius stared at him for a long time, giving away nothing with those big grey eyes. Eventually, when he did speak, his tone was scarily neutral, like all empathy had been drained from him.

“I may as well have.” His cold gaze was firmly on Albus’. A shiver went down his spine. “I’ve done awful things, Albus. Things I can’t even speak about, but I relive them every night. How am I supposed to live with myself? How can I be a healer when I’ve caused so much pain?”

Albus didn’t know the pain he was referring to. He could only assume it was linked back to the world where Voldemort had ruled. And Milo.

“I’ve hurt people. And I’ve manipulated people.”

“To survive, Scorpius. Who you are and what you do to survive are two different people.” Scorpius was shaking his head, but Albus needed him to hear this. “Who you are is not what you did. You are kind and good, Scorpius Malfoy. You help people. When the castle was being invaded, you helped those who were injured. You did that. You want to be a healer because you want to help people. That’s who you are. All those other things – whatever they are – are _not_ you. Are you listening?”

“Maybe I am all those things, but I’ve done bad things as well.”

“Yeah, and look what it’s doing to you. It’s eating you alive. Do you really think a truly evil person would feel guilty? No, because you have a conscience and that’s what separates you from Delphi, or Cassie. Good and evil isn’t black and white, but you are the furthest thing from evil.”

Scorpius sniffed, wiping the tears away with the sleeve of the hoodie he was wearing – one of Albus’. He liked to wear them to bed because they smelt like him. It gave him some kind of extra comfort on top of having Albus’ body wrapped around him.

For a long time, it seemed he wasn’t going to speak. Albus wondered what was going through his mind but had long realised that trying to guess what was inside Scorpius’ brain was a mission on its own. Not even Scorpius knew what went on up in there most the time.

“I’m going to be okay, right?” It was such a vulnerable question, accompanied by big, bright vulnerable eyes. Scorpius was looking at him like he hung the moon, like he held all the answers. But, Albus didn’t want to lie to him. He had no idea. He just knew that for as long as Scorpius wasn’t okay, then he wasn’t okay. So, eventually they would have to recover, there was no other option.

“We are,” he assured, because they had to be. He pulled Scorpius in for a hug, letting the other boy bury his head against him. He felt the tension fade from his body and he relaxed into Albus’ grip. “It feels like shit, and I know you feel broken now, but your lights are still bright to me, love. You’re still an innocent. And we’ll be okay.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

Albus held him until he stopped shaking, until he stopped feeling so vulnerable. He wasn’t sure how long they sat on the dorm room floor, held in each other’s arms. He just knew that when the sun began to rise, and the moon disappeared behind the horizon, something felt different. Something in the universe had shifted, making way for a new light.

Things weren’t fixed. They wouldn’t be for a long time. But that night saved them both. Some things have to break before they can be fixed again, and Scorpius was one of those things. He had to breakdown and admit his thoughts. He had to air them because they were starting to suffocate him. And now they were out in the open, there was room for air and room for recovery.

Scorpius had been searching for a darker place to hide, and nearly lost himself in the process. But, in all dark places there was a light somewhere. That light was Albus, and he pulled him from the darkest depths of his mind. He guided him to safety, to a brighter place. They helped each other, they saved each other because they had no one else. No one who understood how they were feeling anyway.

The children of war fought their ghosts. The children of war fought their demons. The children of war faced the aftermath of their parents’ war and won. The children of war were en route to a brighter future. The next generation would know no war, and it would be a distant memory to their parents and grandparents. The next generation had a fighting chance at a brighter future.

There would be no Delphi, a child born to the greatest dark wizard of all time, raised on hatred and abhorrence and hellbent on revenge.

There would be no Cassie, a child born to a pureblood family but taken from them, to be raised on false rumours rather than the love she deserved.

There would be no Scorpius, a child born to a pureblood family and hated for existing, meaning he was subject to lies about himself and yet still grew up kind.

There would be no Albus, a child born to the wizarding worlds’ saviour, who fought desperately to be out of his shadow.

There would be no more children of war.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Art by: https://secretlydreamingofgansey.tumblr.com/ as usual! Check out her other stuff at her tumblr page as well, she's incredible and I want to thank her for putting up with me through these emotional chapters :D  
> IT'S FINISHED! I can't believe what an emotional rollercoaster this has been and I want to thank everyone for their support throughout!  
> Please, please, please, don't be afraid to leave comments or feedback as I really would love to hear all your thoughts on this! Alternatively drop me a message on either twitter (@cryingbcbooks) or tumblr (@anarcherboyandawarlock).  
> Thank you all again and I love you all! Until next time :) xoxo


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